ARE AIR purifiers especially the mini, portable ones worn as necklaces effective in preventing transmission of Covid-19 or other coronaviruses?
What our experts say
Mini, portable air purifier necklaces (such as the type available for
purchase on consumer websites) have not been shown to prevent Covid-19
infection and there have been no studies about their effectiveness to date.
Indoor air purifier units can help reduce tiny parts of virus in the air (airborne
contaminants) in a home or confined space if they are used correctly, but they
are not enough to protect people from Covid-19.
Context and background
Miniature, portable air purifiers are currently being advertised around
the world, particularly in online marketplaces. Unfortunately, many claims made
by these products around Covid-19 prevention are unverified. Some products have
claimed to use high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, which are
physical filters that meet a standard of catching at least 99.7% of
particulates that are 0.3 micrometers or larger in size (although the
SARS-CoV-2 virus particles causing Covid-19 are smaller on average than this
0.3 micrometer standard for HEPA filters).
According to Pediatric Pulmonologist Dr. Nidhy Varghese, “even if these
microbes make it into the purifier, they may elude filtration...the data so far
suggests that it is unlikely that air purifiers will help with
coronaviruses." The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also emphases
that "by itself, a portable air cleaner is not enough to protect people
from Covid-19." (Health-desk.org)
No comments:
Post a Comment