The demand for air purifiers in hospitals has surged due to COVID-19. Hospitals have turned to air purifiers to remove COVID-19 particles from the air. In this article, we tackle what you need to know about choosing an air purifier for a hospital setting.
Can Air Purifiers Capture COVID-19?
Yes, and very well. Air purifiers that contain HEPA filters or even lower grade filters can capture virtually all sizes of solid particles, including particles 0.1 microns in diameter – or the same size as COVID-19..
How to Choose the Right Hospital Air Purifier
It can be confusing to know which air purifier option is best for COVID-19 protection. Many companies use marketing gimmicks to trick you into buying an expensive, fancy air purifier that in reality do not give you any better virus filtration.
1) Are Medical Grade Air Purifiers Required For Hospitals?
No. Turns out, the term “medical grade air purifier” is more of a marketing gimmick than anything else. Normal HEPA filter air purifiers can filter viruses.
Read more: What Are Medical Grade Air Purifiers?
2) Are Air Purifiers With UV-light and Ionizers Needed?
These again are marketing gimmicks to get you to purchase a more expensive purifier. UV light air purifiers are too weak to kill viruses quickly enough and can damage HEPA filters. Ionizers are also too weak to make a difference, and can produce harmful ozone.
3) HEPA Filter: The Golden Standard for Virus Filtration
The real key to an effective air purifier is the use of a HEPA filter, which can remove 99.9% of viruses from the air. Do not be fooled by extra unnecessary add-ons.
4) How to Choose the Best HEPA Air Purifier Model for a Hospital
In choosing an air purifier for a hospital, it is important to find an air purifier that can filter and circulate enough air for the size of the area. An air purifier’s CADR rating measures the amount of clean air it can purifier in a given amount of time. This CADR rating can be used to make appropriate calculations.
The CDC recommends 6-12 air changes per hour when dealing with viruses or other airborne infections. Therefore, the CADR rating (given in cubic feet per minute or cubic meters per hour) of the air purifier should be at least six times the volume of the hospital area being used in.
An example:
Smart Air’s no-nonsense air purifiers have been used in hospitals around the world to provide greater COVID-19 protection. Due to hospitals being larger and having a lot of air to clean, the powerful Blast is the typical purifier of choice for COVID-19 protection in hospitals. With a CADR of 890, the Blast is one of the most powerful purifiers on the market, cleaning large amounts of air per hour.
Below is a picture of hospital staff at the Novaliches General Hospital. Most major hospitals in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, utilize the Blast for COVID-19 protection, as well as many hospitals around the world.
Smart Air: A Different Kind of Air Purifier Company
Smart Air is a certified B Corp committed to combating the myths big companies use to inflate the price of clean air.
Smart Air provides empirically backed, no-nonsense purifiers and masks, that remove the same particles as the big companies for a fraction of the cost. Only corporations benefit when clean air is a luxury.
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