GoKawiilKey takeaways:
Health experts recommend using air purifiers to help prevent illness, especially during the cold months and flu season, as viruses like influenza and the COVID-19-causing SARS-CoV-2 are carried in respiratory aerosols.
Health experts recommend operating your air purifier continuously at a low speed to minimize the risk of illness. If someone is actively sick, prioritize a high fan speed.
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Other important factors for illness prevention include an air purifier with a true HEPA filter and strategically placing the unit in your home.
I've become dependent on my air purifier to capture allergens such as dust and pollen during the spring allergy season, as well as smoke from wildfires where I live in Southern California. However, I've always wondered whether air purifiers can prevent illness. If they can capture allergens, smoke, mold spores and pet dander, can they also remove viruses from the air?
According to CNET's exclusive lab data, the answer is yes. Health experts agree.
Pediatric allergist and clinical immunologist Dr. Zachary Rubin tells CNET that viruses such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2, a member of the coronavirus family, are carried in respiratory aerosols, which are particles that get exhaled while you're breathing, coughing, talking or sneezing. These are usually under 5 μm in size, but many can be smaller than 1 μm, and your air purifier should be able to remove them.
CNET
Primary care and urgent care physician Dr. Steven Goldberg, the chief medical officer at molecular testing laboratory HealthTrackRX, notes that an air purifier capable of removing 0.3 μm particles is a particularly vital benchmark for viral aerosol removal, especially since manufacturers often rate purifier filters by their efficiency in removing particles of this size.
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