The Definition of a HEPA Filter
With millions of people suffering from allergies and diseases, keeping allergens and pathogens from spreading is critical to health. One means of doing this is through maintaining the purity of the air that people breathe. This can be achieved through the use of HEPA filters, which filter nearly 100 percent of particles from the air by trapping them in a finely woven filter
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What's a HEPA Filter
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HEPA is an acronym that stands for "high efficiency particulate air." A HEPA filter thus is a filter that is excellent at removing tiny particles from the air and trapping them. A true HEPA filter (there are filters called HEPA-like) is able to remove a minimum of 99.97 percent of airborne particles that are 0.3 micrometers in diameter. The filters achieve this rate of efficiency because they are made of a mat of fibers that are randomly arranged.
Efficiency
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HEPA filters are able to be efficient because they actually keep particles out of the air in three ways. As particles enter the filter, some of them actually stick to the filter fibers. Other particles get stuck between the fibers, and some of them are kept from exiting the filter because they collide with other particles.
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Benefit
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The main benefit of HEPA filters is that they improve health and prevent the spread of disease. This is due to their ability to trap small particles, such as pollens that cause allergic reactions and bacteria that can cause infections.
Where They're Found
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Because of their ability to improve health and prevent diseases from spreading, HEPA filters are commonly found in the heating and cooling systems of clinics and hospitals. They are also found in vacuum cleaners, especially those that are geared toward people with pets that can shed a lot of dander and hair. They also are used in the nuclear industry. Uses are currently limited, because HEPA filters remain rather expensive.
History
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HEPA filters were designed in the 1940s, but they weren't commercialized until a decade later. Their original manufacture was the result of the desire to prevent radioactive contaminants from spreading---this was a large concern during this time because of the previous wars and the increase in nuclear technology. Although HEPA originally was treated like a trademarked brand name, HEPA now can refer to any filter that meets the 99.97 particulate capture standard. This standard is regulated by the United States Department of Energy.
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