HEPA air purifiers are top of the line and used by allergy and asthma doctors to alleviate the harsh symptoms of these conditions. Discover the best HEPA air purifiers that use HEPA technology to address Asthma and Allergy symptoms.

History of HEPA Air Purifier Technology

In the 1950s, the US Atomic Energy Commission needed something to remove small radioactive particulates, so High Efficiency Particulate Arresting (HEPA) filters were developed. Since then, HEPA filtration has been used in air purifiers to clean the indoors in spaces like medical cleanrooms and beauty salons. HEPA products are also part of treatments used by doctors to help alleviate allergy and asthma symptoms.

The following table shows which IQAir model is suitable for specific airborne pollutants. The darker the blue stripe, the better the filtration efficiency of the IQAir system for the respective pollutant. 

The advanced air cleaning technologies used by IQAir are the result of an unparalleled 50 year track record in air purification. 



IQAir's HyperHEPA Technology
The accredited test laboratory Interbasic Resources, Inc. purchased a number of room air cleaners on the open market and tested them for their filtration efficiency. Only the IQAir HealthPro 250 was able to trap over 99% of virtually all types of pollution particles. Since the IQAir HealthPro 100 and HealthPro 150 models feature identical particle filters to the HealthPro 250, the same results can also be expected of these models. The below graphs are based on independent laboratory tests which determined the HyperHEPA filter's removal efficiency for various particle size ranges.

IQAir's HyperHEPA filtration is designed to filter as small as 0.003 micron particles including PM2.5, ultrafine particles, bacteria, viruses, molds and pollens. IQAir's HyperHEPA filters have been type-tested and classified in accordance with the world's most stringent HEPA filter test: EN1822. The test shows that IQAir's HyperHEPA filter not only meets the HEPA standard, but that it exceeds it. 

Air Purifier Technology: The Importance of Using Pre-Filters

Indoor air is full of particles, most of them large particles like dust. Skipping on a pre-filter may mean you wear out your main filter more quickly.

Did you know that indoor air is full of particles and in fact, most of the mass in the particles is in the larger particles, not the tiny pollens? The majority of the larger particles (dust, pet dander, etc) will be captured by an air purifier, and unless you use an air purifier technology called a pre-filter, the high-efficiency, more expensive HEPA filters will clog up with big particles too quickly. Even though HEPA filters have a large number of pleats which gives them lots of surface area, they can fill up more quickly if the larger particles are not pre-filtered out. In a typical family, with kids, dogs or cats, and a lifestyle that is highly active, an air purifier has to deal with a lot of large particles!

Pets are not the only ones with dander! Our first time air purifier owners are typically surprised at how much human hair and skin cells are caught in the pre-filter & main air purifier. Between humans and pets, especially cats, just the hair and fur can load up the pre-filter. That's one of the main reasons that the pre-filter on your air purifier should be changed, or at least checked according to a prescribed schedule. In some cases, as with the Austin Air HealthMate models, the outside of the air purifier can be vacuumed occasionally and that will remove some of the larger pieces like the hair and dander. The aim is to keep the air purifier optimally pulling in the more toxic pollutants in the home or office. In both locations air purifiers with pre-filter technology can really help.

Does changing your pre-filter according to the prescribed schedule mean you'll never have to dust again? This is one of the most hopeful questions we get from our new air purifier customers. Unfortunately, an air purifier doesn't take the place of cleaning and dusting a home, but it definitely helps reduce the amount of dust in your home. While you vacuum and dust your home it is important to turn your air purifier on the highest speed, so kicked up particles that go airborne are captured in the air purifier and filtered out of your air. We have specific air purifiers that go above and beyond for dust control, if that is your main concern.

An air purifier is key to running a healthy home, so you might as well use it most efficiently and effectively by changing the pre-filter as prescribed by the manufacturer. It is a very good idea to put the date that you should check the pre-filter either on your calendar or on a piece of paper taped to the air purifier.