Fresh Air Purifiers

There are several important things to consider before buying fresh air purifiers.

In choosing the air purifier, you should consider its effectiveness in cleaning the air. According to the American Lung Association, there are several features to measure this, including measuring particulate air cleaning and gas phase filtration efficiency.

As for particulate air cleaning, the higher the percentage of pollutants removed, the more efficient the air cleaner.

Another common measure is the efficiency to clean certain size particles. For example, HEPA filters have 99.97% efficiency for 0.3 micron size particles, the most difficult size particles to clean mechanically, according to the American Lung Association.

Also, clean air delivery rate (CADR) is also often used to compare portable air cleaners. The CADR is the product of the net air volume generated by an air cleaner and the minimum filtration efficiency for removing particles of smoke, dust, and pollen from a room.

As for odor, vapor, and gas collection efficiency, they are measured by the length of time a vapor is exposed to the sorbent (dwell time), the sorption capabilities of the sorbent media, and the total surface available in the media, according to the American Lung Association.

Other factors to consider include temperature, humidity, and the possibility that certain odors and vapors are not captured.

There are no industry-wide performance standards for all types of purifiers, but there are several standards that have been developed for different types of filters.

Association for Fresh Air Purifiers

There are several associations and organizations that study and give out information on different types of air purifiers and purifying technologies.

These organizations include: