Key takeaways:
Health experts recommend using air purifiers during cold and flu season, as viruses like influenza and SARS-CoV-2 are carried in respiratory aerosols.
Health experts recommend operating air purifiers at a continuous, low speed to prevent illness. If someone is actively sick, prioritize high fan speed for the rapid removal of aerosols.
Our exclusive lab data shows that the Shark HP232 performed best at particle removal on its low fan setting, while the Coway Airmega 400S performed best at particle removal on its high setting.
performed best at particle removal on its low fan setting, while the performed best at particle removal on its high setting. Other important factors for illness prevention are an air purifier with a true HEPA filter and strategic placement of the unit.
Tickle in your throat? Feeling run-down? When this occurs during cold and flu season, you likely reach for your vitamin C supplement or start spraying disinfectant on household surfaces. However, as a wellness writer of over a decade, I’ve always wondered about the power of air purifiers for illness prevention, and now our exclusive CNET Labs data has confirmed my suspicions that this piece of health tech should be in your cold and flu arsenal.
Health experts also affirm that air purifiers are effective tools for the sickness season.
Dr. Zachary Rubin, pediatric allergist and clinical immunologist, tells CNET that viruses like influenza and SARS-CoV-2, a member of the coronavirus family, are carried in respiratory aerosols -- particles that get exhaled while you’re breathing, coughing, talking or sneezing -- that are typically under 5 μm (microns). A significant number of them can be smaller than 1 μm, and you’ll want your air purifier to be able to remove them.
Dr. Steven Goldberg, a primary care and urgent care physician who is also the chief medical officer at molecular testing laboratory HealthTrackRX, adds that an air purifier being able to remove 0.3 μm particles is a vital benchmark for viral aerosol removal, especially because manufacturers often rate purifier filters by their efficiency in removing particles of this size.
To put this to the test, CNET Labs placed 12 popular air purifier models in a smoke chamber to measure their ability to filter five different particle sizes, both fine and coarse, from the air. Two models emerged as top performers for their speedy results, making them must-have devices for cold and flu season.
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