While The Dream City Church in Phoenix--where the United States President Donald Trump is scheduled to attend a rally on Tuesday, June 23--claimed that its building has an air filtration system that can neutralize the coronavirus, experts doubted the ability of the filtration because there is no evidence it can stop the spread of the virus.
Since then, the coronavirus has changed the way we treat our everyday lives. Non-essential shops are closed, children learn from home, and social remoteness has become a household word. While the end of this pandemic is in sight, there are still a few ways to cope with the pandemic. As people seek to protect themselves and their families, they are looking for answers to technology.
Because COVID-19 is passed from person to person and can be airborne, you can think the exposure may be minimized by an air purifier. Alas, it's not that easy.
Can air purifiers protect you from coronavirus?
No, it just can't.
An air purifier can counter specific causes of breathing issues and boost your home's overall air quality. Still, a regular HEPA filter can't catch and kill something as small as a virus. And if the virus is detected, it possibly will survive for a while.
A filter with PECO may make a difference, but only in a limited way. The system used by PECO filters to take particles out of the air is capable of capturing tiny objects.
According to Dr. Mariea Snell, Assistant Director of the Online Doctor of Nursing Program at Maryville University, a PECO filter may eliminate a virus from the air due to its size. Still, she told Digital Trends that "this is not likely to have a significant effect, given that [coronavirus] lives on surfaces for a long time.
The coronavirus is transmitted by touch between person and person and comes into contact with infected surfaces. The easiest way to combat the coronavirus is to avoid contact with someone who may get infected and use good hygiene practices. Wash your hands regularly, and wear a correctly approved face mask in areas where you might be exposed to it.
Science of air purifiers and viruses
Fans are used by air purifiers to suck in air and move through a filter until the filtered air is released from the other side. These are especially effective in eliminating airborne odors and large particulates. For example, if you are suffering from pet allergies, an air purifier will help trap the dander and reduce the symptoms. On the other hand, the limit of what an air purifier will absorb is set.
Only the most efficient air purifiers will absorb only particles smaller than 0.1 microns or larger, and the vast majority of air purifiers can absorb only 0.3 microns or larger particles. A micron is a one-millionth of a meter measuring unit, sometimes called a micrometer.
The key culprits of poor indoor air quality are greater than this size limit; mold, pollen, and pet dander are all larger, and a regular HEPA filter will trap and remove them. That small margin of error is why air purifiers say a 99% effective rate.
Viruses are roughly 100 times smaller than bacteria and are usually between 0.004 and 0.1 microns in size, which means that even the best air filters will fail to remove a virus from the air.
Fundamental problem
However, even the strongest air purifier doesn't fix the fundamental problem; like most viruses, the coronavirus is transmitted by contact with and interaction with contaminated surfaces. Air purifiers can disinfect the air in a space over time, but infections tend to travel short distances between people or property and stay on surfaces. An air purifier, even if designed to destroy viruses, sometimes fails to capture a virus until it reaches a human or surface.
That being said, the air purifiers are great throughout the year. Coronavirus is not the only problem, as shown by the horrendous pollen season this year. An air purifier can help to reduce pollen and seasonal allergies, remove sniffles, and place trees in their place.
