Dust - dust is a common pollutant and allergen in our homes and offices with the primary sources being human skin cells, human and pet hair, paper and clothing fibers, minerals from outside, etc. The amount and type of dust in an environment can vary widely based upon the occupants and location - for example, living in a dry and dusty area. Particles are measured in microns where a micron is a micro meter or one millionth of a meter in diameter. Dust particles are less than 500 microns in size and typically considered one of the larger sized particles however there is fine dust that can be suspended in the air for extended periods of time. This micro sized dust particles tend to cause the respiratory issues since these particles can be breathed deep into your lungs.

Pollen - pollen is a common allergen and is often referred to as hay fever. Pollen particles range in size from 1 micron to 100 microns. The smaller sized pollen particles are too small to be seen by the eye unless they are in mass concentrations. Similar to dust and other micro particles, the smaller sized particles can be suspended in the air for extended periods of time which will increase the chance of being breathed into your respiratory system.

Mold - molds exist everywhere in nature and are a common component of dust. Mold is a microscopic fungi that requires a certain level of moisture or humidity to grow although they do spread through the air and can create very serious health issues. An air purifier will not remove the source of mold but they can help in purifying the mold from the air. HEPA air purifiers are commonly used by mold remediation specialists in the cleanup of toxic mold.

Pet Dander - dander is a flaky type material that is shed from pets and is similar to a pet dandruff. Pet dander is a common allergen and again it is the smaller sized particles that present issues with our respiratory systems. In addition to a HEPA air purifier, we recommend a HEPA vacuum cleaner for the removal of pet dander from floors and carpeting. Pet dander is removed by a HEPA filter similar to pollen.

Bacteria - bacteria is a single cell micro-organism that is typically 1 to 5 microns in length although bacteria comes in a variety of shapes. Bacteria grow to a certain size and then divide into two similar cells. This can occur as fast as every 10 minutes. Given their size, bacteria is trapped within a HEPA filter but the addition of UV light has been proven to stop or slow their growth. Bacteria are removed by a HEPA filter similar to pollen.

VOC's - VOC's are volatile organic compounds and these are gases such as formaldehyde that are emitted from common household items such as new carpeting, wood laminate, plastics, etc. Through the use of PCO (photo-catalytic oxidation) in the v-hepa Pro air purifier, we are able to remove VOC's from an indoor air environment. Photocatalytic oxidation is achieved when you combine UV rays with a Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) coated filter. This process creates hydroxyl radicals that remove harmful gases.

Gases/Odors/Smoke - The activated carbon filter consists of a vast system of highly adsorbent molecular sized pores to remove gases, odors, smoke and VOC's (volatile organic compounds).