HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters are special filters that meet strict standards for capturing irritants, eliminating them from the air in your home. Using HEPA filters in your home’s forced-air furnace or air conditioning unit is particularly useful because they help fight allergies, heart disease, and asthma. Check out how HEPA filters can help your family’s health and why they are a great choice for your home.
They Improve Indoor Air Quality
HEPA filters are better than other filters because they are crafted from extremely fine glass fiber, which does an excellent job of snagging partials that easily pass through other types of filters. In fact, for a filter to be called HEPA, it must be able to capture at least 99.97 percent of irritants that are 0.3-microns in diameter. HEPA filters are so good at improving indoor air quality that the CDC recommends HEPA filters to fight the spread of disease by capturing pathogens. Unlike some other types of air filters, HEPA filters actually become more efficient at improving indoor air as they get dirty.
They Fight Allergens
Via Flickr by KimCarpenter NJ
Because HEPA filters capture so many irritants, they are perfect for people who suffer from allergies. Dust, pollen, animal dander, and more can get into your home and wreak havoc if you have allergies. HEPA filters destroy these allergens in three ways: interception, impaction, and diffusion. HEPA filters intercept medium-sized allergens, trapping them in the fibers. Large particles can’t get trapped in the fibers, so they are impacted into the contours of the filter. Small particles are diffused by being forced into gas molecules, which destroy them.
They Help Improve Breathing
Another advantage of HEPA filters is that they make it easier to breath, which is especially important for people who suffer from breathing difficulties, such as asthma or COPD. Common triggers for both asthma and COPD include tobacco smoke, dust, pet dander, and mold. As you now know, HEPA filters stop most of these. Unfortunately, HEPA filters are not effective at removing tobacco smoke from the air, but as long as no one in your home smokes, HEPA filters can make a huge difference in how well you breathe.
They Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease
The last advantage of using HEPA filters is one that can benefit everyone, because no one wants to suffer a heart attack. Certain irritants, especially those in large cities, increase your heart rate and blood pressure and worsen inflammation in the lining of blood vessels. As a result, the blood can’t flow as well as it should, increasing your risk of heart disease. In a study that tested heart disease markers in 45 adults, after two weeks of using HEPA filters, inflammation was reduced and artery lining health improved.
HEPA filters are more expensive than other types of filters, but you can’t put a price on your family’s health. Because they capture so many irritants, HEPA filters reduce the symptoms of allergies and asthma and offer extra protection against heart disease. If you have a forced-air furnace or air conditioner in your home, it’s time to consider switching to a HEPA filter.
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I knew about allergies , but I didn’t know that HEPA filters were also good for blood vessel inflammation. It is certainly worth the. LST of using them
With my allergies, if I don’t use a good filter my sinuses go nuts this time of year. I definitely think it’s worth it to use a HEPA filter.