Thursday, September 25, 2014

EV-D68 Enterovirus On The Rise: Protect Yourself with HEPA Filters

We've been hearing quite a bit about EV-D68 (enterovirus D68). And while this virus strain was first identified in 1962, the number of new illnesses association with the virus have been increasing steadily since then. So far in 2014, there have been 130 confirmed cases of EV-D68 across the U.S. What's alarming about this virus is that it can have polio-like symptoms such as paralysis of the limbs along with the usual runny nose, cough, fever, and can lead to pneumonia and respiratory failure, especially in children under 5 and those with weakened immune systems. The good news is that many viruses are attached to particles, bacteria, etc, and a quality air purifier can stop the majority of those--and keep a lot of those viruses from being airborne in the process.

Now the question is: which air purifier and what kind of filters are best for this? Well, a lot of people are wondering whether air purifiers with true HEPA filters are better than say, electronic air cleaners with electrified plates that trap particle type pollutants. The answer to this question is: absolutely, yes--you want HEPA. Here's why: A HEPA filter has to adhere to certain guidelines to even have the name 'HEPA', such as being able to consistently remove 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns or micro-meters. Electostatic type air cleaners do trap a lot of the particles, but the performance does drop off after the plates get a little dirty--which means that the unit is simply circulating a portion of the pollutants (i.e. dust, bacteria, etc) and the dirtier the plates get, the more dust and bacteria--and viruses--get through.

This is why small room HEPA purifiers are your best protection (and best value) because they will stop and trap these airborne invaders, and their filtration efficiency doesn't degrade for a long time--like, for a year in most cases (some HEPA filters do last even longer).  For best protection,  make sure you are using a quality portable HEPA air purifier (brands such as Aller Air, Blueair, Austin Air), and second, be sure to buy your replacement HEPA filters on a regular basis. This way you can feel a lot safer that you're filtering out a large percentage of potentially infectious material from the air in your home or office, and anyone coming in that is sick won't be able to infect others quite as easily.

Also, if you want the best protection against bacteria and viruses, you might want to choose an air cleaner that has ions or a negative ion generator (ozone free), or one that offers UV light as an option (Aller Air offers this option). Both the ions and the UV light are able to destroy most bacteria and viruses on first or second contact or pass through the air cleaner. And of course, use whatever disinfectants you have on a regular basis, wiping down surfaces, faucet handles, doorknobs, etc. This will also go a long way toward keeping viruses like EV-D68 where they should be--out of your way.

Air Purifiers and Cleaners.com sells only the best compact HEPA air cleaners with maximum efficiency and great warranties---at the cheapest discount prices with free shipping, due to our extremely low overhead. We also have a team of experts on hand to answer any air filtration questions you may have. Just give us a call toll-free at 1-800-701-2513. We're here to help!
 
And don't forget to use code FFAM5 for 5% off and free shipping on any item in our store!
 
Air Purifiers and Cleaners.com
1-800-701-2513

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