Novel Coronavirus (CoVID-19) has recently exploded abroad and become a serious global health problem. More and more people are concerned about how to protect themselves against the new pneumonia, such as wearing a respirator, washing hands frequently, traveling less and using 75% alcohol to disinfect.
But others wonder whether air purifiers used at home can protect against the new pneumonia. Is it useful at all?
As we all know that novel Coronavirus spreads through droplets in the air, many people may wrongly think that if an air purifier is used, can it quickly purify the air infected with virus and avoid infection? Of course it's not that simple.
In fact, an air purifier does not protect us from novel Coronavirus infection.
Air purifiers can remove particles, formaldehyde and other things that cause respiratory problems and improve the overall air quality in our homes, but standard HEPA filters are unable to capture and destroy things as small as viruses.
Even if the virus is caught by an air purifier, it may survive for a while.
In addition to HEPA emptying, PECO filtering emptying may be useful, as its method of pulling particles out of the air can be virus-like, but not completely protective.
While a PECO filter can remove viruses from the air according to its size, a novel Coronavirus can adhere to the surface of an object for a long time (such as the case of avirus detected ona door handle in China before), so a novel coronavirus has a limited ability to purify the virus completely.
Novel Coronavirus spreads through human-to-human contact and comes into contact with a contaminated surface. The best options for fighting coronavirus are to avoid contact with anyone who might be infected and to adopt strict hygiene practices. Wash your hands often and wear a properly rated mask where you may get sick.
An air purifier USES a fan to suck in air and pass it through a filter, then expels the purified air on the other side. They are particularly effective at removing odors and large particles from the air. If you have a pet allergy, for example, an air purifier can help capture dander and reduce symptoms. But there are limits to what an air purifier can capture.
Even the most powerful air purifiers can only capture particles as small as 0.1 microns or larger, while most air purifiers can only capture particles as small as 0.3 microns or larger.
The main causes of poor indoor air quality are dust, PM2.5 particles and so on. Mold, pollen and pet dander are large and can be caught and removed by a standard HEPA filter. This tiny margin of error is why air purifiers claim to be 99 percent efficient.
But viruses are about 100 times the size of bacteria, typically ranging from 0.004 to 0.1 microns. This means that even the most powerful air filters have a hard time removing viruses from the air.
The SARS outbreak in 2013 was also caused by a coronavirus with a size of 0.1 microns. According to Dr. Maria Snell, University of Marieville, Novel Coronavirus is about 0.125 micron in size.
LightS Technology also said its air purifier can catch the virus but won't destroy it. As long as the virus is alive, the virus stays alive in the filter. Several scientific studies have shown that viruses can remain dormant for long periods of time.
There are two main types of air filters: HEPA and PECO. HEPA is an acronym for high, efficient, particulate, air. PECO, on the other hand, stands for photochemical oxidation.
The HEPA filter is made of a fabric that functions like a net. Air passes through the fabric through a fan. The particles are captured by the fabric, and now the clean air is allowed to escape from the other side. Over time, particles will accumulate on the fabric until it loses efficiency. This is why the filter must be replaced.
PECO filters work in a similar but more complex manner. First, the air passes through a "pre-filter" containing carbon. Next, it goes through a larger filter that traps and binds molecules and ions, then destroys them.
Which is better? In fact, they are often used in smaller devices, such as home portable air purifiers, rather than in centrally piped HVAC systems, so their effect on virus protection is not obvious.
So the consumer air purifiers we use in our homes, don't expect them to protect you from viruses, but industrial air purifiers do exist that can completely clean the air, but they are large and expensive.
So even the best air purifier cannot solve the fundamental problem of novel Coronavirus protection. Like most viruses, coronaviruses are transmitted through person-to-person contact and contact with contaminated surfaces. Air purifiers can filter the air in a room over time, but viruses tend to travel short distances between people and objects and stay on the surface. Air purifiers, even though equipped to kill viruses, often fail to catch viruses before coming into contact with people or surfaces