HEPA Filters Can Capture Coronavirus Particles: Study
11 Mar 2022
From the time when the pandemic erupted as a result of the SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) virus, particle filters, specifically those like High-Efficiency Particulate Arrestance (HEPA), have gained much popularity with the people. Let’s see if the filter works against coronavirus.
The journal Nature has published a paper, yet to be peer-reviewed, which concludes that HEPA filter may be effective against the SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) virus. The research was conducted in a hospital flooded with the patients with Covid-19. It was observed that the risk of contracting the virus inside hospitals can be mitigated by using an advanced air purification system, fitted with a combination of HEPA filter, UV-C disinfector, and other filtration technologies.
The research team, led by intensivist Andrew Conway-Morris, PhD, concludes that the air filter was efficient to capture inactive particles in a controlled environment, but the researchers were not sure whether it would function in a real-world set up.
To check out its filtration efficiency, they got a HEPA air purifier installed in two COVID wards in a hospital, and they started assessing the indoor air quality by collecting samples from the wards throughout the week the filter was installed there.
As per the study, "Airborne SARS-CoV-2 was detected in the ward on all five days before activation of air/UV filtration, but on none of the five days when the air/UV filter was operational; SARS-CoV-2 was again detected on four out of five days when the filter was turned off."
The CDC Recommends Using Portable HEPA Air Purifier in Rooms:
Since there is no direct scientific evidence that confirms the efficiency of a HEPA air purifier against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, however it has been established in several scientific studies that the role of HEPA filter in reducing aerosol concentration in a closed space cannot be denied.
Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had recommended using an air purification system, fitted with HEPA and other filters, as an added measure to reduce the infection of SARS-CoV-1.
Therefore, keeping it mind, HEPA air purifier for room could also be used as an effective measure to reduce airborne SARS-COV-2 in a closed space with poor ventilation.
NASA Study Finds HEPA Highly Efficient Against Ultrafine Particles:
The COVID-19 virus is about 0.125 micron in diameter. And HEPA filter is clinically proven to trap the ultrafine particles, which are 0.01 micron and above in diameter. Several blogs and health journals have erroneously claimed that the filter cannot trap the particles below 0.3 micron. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) concludes in its study that the filter is highly efficient to capture all types of ultrafine particles of 0.01 micron.
Conclusion:
Limited conclusive research studies on the filtration efficiency of HEPA filters exit, however some studies concluded that the filters are efficient to trap some droplet-enclosed viruses and the microbes that are larger than the mesh pores in HEPA filters. Experts on the whole some additional scientific studies need to be carried out to establish its efficiency.
HEPA filters, however, can help to remove indoor allergens responsible for respiratory allergies, so they are helpful at home or in offices to improve the quality of indoor air distribution and provide a better environment for allergen susceptible people to stay.
With all keeping in mind, it's necessary to invest in an air purifier, which is fitted with multi-layer filtration technologies. PetriMed CA’s APS 400 is all new fully-loaded air purification system that is efficient to capture 99.999% of ultrafine particles as small as 0.01 micron in diameter. It works on a 3-stage purification mechanism – air purification, UV-C disinfection, and ionization to create a nourished and healthy indoor space.