Are air purifiers effective in preventing the novel coronavirus?

The novel coronavirus can spread through particles in the air. To prevent this, many people wear masks water purifier. Especially for air purifiers, now the products are more varied and are widely sold freely. But are air purifiers effective in preventing the novel coronavirus?

is water purifier can prevent coronavirus?

Allergens are a group of compounds including smoke, fungi, viruses, bacteria, pollen, and pollutants that can damage the lungs and the immune system. Exposure to these allergens can also be carried into the house after you travel from outside.

Allergens will turn into microorganisms which will spread through the air. Microorganisms can pass from one person to another by breathing the same air in a contaminated room.

The spread of viruses and bacteria in the house tends to be easier, especially because the house is a place that is often left with closed doors and windows for safety reasons. The confined microorganisms will continue to circulate in it.

This makes family members who live in the same house as patients who are infected with the virus more susceptible to contracting the disease, especially young children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems.

Most of the allergens such as viruses and bacteria are very small and cannot be seen with the naked eye. In fact, the size is no more than 0.3 microns. To get rid of it, use an air purifier that is often called water purifier .

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Amid the increasingly widespread spread of the novel coronavirus, use water purifier among the people it is increasing. Air purifier which has a HEPA filtration system is said to be the best type to clean indoor air.

HEPA filter (high efficiency particulate air) is a fine-net air filtration technology that can trap 0.3-0.1 microns in size. HEPA filters have been widely used in the biomedical field since the 1940s as a deterrent to airborne viral organisms. This technology is claimed to be able to filter as much as 99.97% of particles in the air.

Inner HEPA filter water purifier can't kill the coronavirus

Unfortunately, the HEPA feature is deep water purifier it cannot kill the virus, even if you buy the newest model. In addition, the effectiveness of HEPA filters can also decrease over time due to the build-up of particles in them.

So that water purifier to function better in the prevention of coronavirus, HEPA filters must be combined with other features. Here are some of them:

Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI)

UVGI or better known as UV lamps is a technology with ultraviolet light that can neutralize various microorganisms in the air such as germs, bacteria, and viruses.

An air purifier can work more effectively to prevent coronavirus if the design uses a UV lamp that is directed towards the HEPA filter. Later, exposure to UV lamps on particles trapped in the HEPA filter will destroy the virus.

However, the effectiveness of UVGI is also not perfect because there are still several types of bacteria and fungal spores that are immune to UV radiation.

ESP filter

This technology uses a high-voltage static electricity which can remove impurities in the air particles. The ESP filter will draw air in water purifier and trapping the particles on the plate.

Similar to a HEPA filter, an ESP filter cannot kill the coronavirus and will only trap it inside the machine water purifier . You should also clean the ESP filter's debris build-up plate every now and then to keep it effective. This filter will last longer with a combination of a HEPA filter and a UV lamp.

Please note, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States, until now there has been no standard test that measures the effectiveness of air purifiers in filtering viruses.