HEPA Filters

Puratek’s air filter range are certified H13 Hospital-grade true HEPA filtration. The industry-leading filtration HEPA standard, combined with Activated Carbon filtration, removes a broad range of odours, allergens and airborne pollutants including; dust, pollen, pet dander, mould, bacteria, smoke, certain viruses and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).

True HEPA Filter H13 certification - Australian Standard (AS 4260-1997). This means the filter has a verified H13 level of purification, removing 99.97% (minimum efficiency) of airborne pollutants such as viruses, bacteria & allergens as small as 0.3 microns. This is the industry standard that specifies whether an air purifier is suitable for use in medical applications including; hospital environments, clean-rooms, pharmaceutical manufacturing and generally where clean/sterile conditions are required for health reasons.

Lesser HEPA Alternatives

Many manufacturers and supplier often advertise 'HEPA filters', however, many of these are not actually H13 Hospital-grade True HEPA filtration and upon testing, fail to filter 99.97% of 0.3 microns particles from the air. Other common HEPA filter types include H-10, H-11 and H-12, which provide reduced levels of 0.3 micron particle filtration, ranging from 85 to 99.5%. Many of these alternatives to HEPA-14 filters are called “HEPA-type” or “HEPA-like”, and are inferior to a “True HEPA filter”. These filters can only capture particles as small as 2-5 microns, which is more than a 600% decrease in efficiency of one True HEPA filter.

Puratek’s air purifiers are tested for HEPA-13 compliance by an authorised independent test body.  Our filter range meets the Australian Standards, European Standards and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Standards in the United States.

HEPA-13 and Viruses

According to a study by the Goethe University in Frankfurt [1], mobile air purifiers with HEPA air filters can help to reduce the virus concentration by 90 percent within half an hour. If there is a super‐spreader in the room, mobile air purifiers reduce the risk of infection, according to the scientists at the Goethe University. To this end, the following requirements must be met by mobile room air conditioning systems:

- A mobile room air conditioning unit should be able to filter six times the room volume. 
- The filter system should include HEPA air filters with filter class H13 or above to achieve a separation efficiency of ≥99.95% or ≥99.995% for the relevant particle spectrum with a diameter of <0.3 µm.

[1]: Curtius, J. et al (2020): Testing mobile air purifiers in a school classroom: Reducing the airborne transmission risk for SARS-CoV-2

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are chemicals that can easily enter the air in the home from many common sources such as:

• paints, paint strippers and other solvents
• wood preservatives
• aerosol sprays
• cleansers and disinfectants
• moth repellents and air fresheners
• stored fuels and automotive products
• pesticide
• building materials and furnishings
• office equipment such as copiers and printers, correction fluids
• craft materials including glues, adhesives and permanent markers

Health effects, as defined by the EPA, may include:

• Eye, nose and throat irritation
• Headaches, loss of coordination and nausea
• Damage to liver, kidney and central nervous system
• Some organics can cause cancer in humans.

We are exposed to these VOCs by breathing, touching & swallowing.  The most practical ways of reducing our exposure to VOCs, when removing the VOC sources often impractical, is through the following highly effective methods:

• Ventilation of indoor areas
• Use of effective air purifiers indoors

Puratek’s HEPA filters are designed to remove airborne pollutants in our homes, including those tiny particles of dust, mould, smoke, pollens, viruses and bacteria.  Because HEPA filters alone are not designed for VOC removal, as a minimum, we combine HEPA-13 with an Activated Carbon filter for effective removal of VOCs such as formaldehyde and other dangerous chemicals.

Understanding Ozone

Production of harmful ozone often plague ion-generating products sold as air purifiers.

Devices that make particles electrically charged to remove them from circulating air don't do much good and can generate substantial amounts of ozone, according to a study of five commercially available air cleaners tested by a University of Texas at Austin architectural engineer. The findings are the most comprehensive review of this type of air-purification device to date, and were peer-reviewed before publication in papers that form the proceedings of the meeting.  The same study showed that a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEP) filter-based device worked an average of 10 times better than the ion generators at removing pollutant particles in a separate test-without producing any ozone.

Ozone (O3) is a highly reactive gas composed of three oxygen atoms. It is found in small amounts at both the upper atmosphere and at ground level. Ozone can be "good" or "bad" for your health and the environment, depending on its location in the atmosphere. The EPA states that Ozone is "Good up high, and bad nearby." Ozone down low is toxic to humans because of its reactive nature with our cells. When inhaled, Ozone can damage the lungs. Relatively low amounts can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and throat irritation. Ozone may also worsen chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and compromise the ability of the body to fight respiratory infections. 

If an air purifier is not effective and it creates chemicals that are harmful to people without removing them, then the technology in the devices needs to be highly scrutinized. Air purifiers with ion generators propose to take advantage of the fact that particles of opposite charges attach to each other in the same way that magnets of opposite polarity attract. The high-voltage wire used to ionize air particles also converts oxygen in the air into ozone and other harmful by-products. Therefore, we do not recommend ion generating air purifiers nor do we feel that an ion generating feature in a multi-feature air purifier is warranted.  Puratek do not include ion generating features in any of their air purifiers.