'What You Need To Know About Air Purifiers and The Coronavirus': Consumer Reports
'What You Need to Know About Air Purifiers and the Coronavirus.' One of these devices might help if someone at home is sick, but only if you use it correctly. By Perry Santanachote. Consumer Reports, *May 05, 2020.
-- “In theory, if an air purifier removes viruses from the air, it reduces concentrations in the room and thus reduces the potential for exposure,” says Linsey Marr, an environmental engineer and professor at Virginia Tech who specializes in airborne disease transmission, air quality, and nanotechnology. “So there is a mechanistic reason to think that air purifiers could help reduce transmission.” --
Running an air purifier at home can be a good idea anytime, to help filter out indoor allergens and pollutants like fumes from cooking and cleaning products. And that's especially true now, when so many people are stuck indoors 24/7 because of the coronavirus pandemic. But you may also be wondering if an air purifier can prevent COVID-19 by capturing virus particles that could be traveling in the air.
We spoke with air quality and virology experts, and asked CR's own experts to weigh in. The consensus is that while air purifiers probably don't offer much protection in most circumstances, they may be worthwhile in a few specific ones. If someone in your household is sick with COVID-19, running an air purifier in their quarantine room may help protect other family members or caregivers. The same goes for healthcare workers who are self-quarantining when they come home.
Our understanding of how the coronavirus spreads is evolving, but the current thinking is that it travels via droplets expelled from the body through coughing, talking, and breathing. While most of these droplets fall to the ground quickly, some research suggests smaller particles may remain in the air for longer. But even if you live with a healthcare worker or someone sick with COVID-19, before you run out to buy an air purifier, our experts say that simply opening up the windows in your home to let in fresh air will help dilute indoor contaminants—including virus particles.
If airing out the room isn’t an option, you could try using a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) purifier...
Read on for more info., CR Tests, Select Home Air Purifier Products...
- More, https://www.consumerreports.org/air-purifiers/what-to-know-about-air-purifiers-and-coronavirus/
(*Editor's Note: This article has been updated to clarify the particle sizes that HEPA filters can capture and explain how the filters capture such particles.)
- Honeywell HPA300 Air Purifier
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