Air Purifier for Dust

Dust contains a variety of substances. The solid particles that comprise dust can be inorganic substances, like tiny fragments of minerals.¹

Dust can also be composed of organic material such as pet dander, small pieces of soil, or plant matter. An air purifier for dust can capture both organic and inorganic matter and remove it from the air.

Quality of Air

The United States Environmental Agency publishes information about air quality using an Air Quality Index (AQI). As an airborne pollutant, dust falls into the category of particulate matter, as dust particles range in size from 0.1 microns to 10 microns.² The AQI includes two categories of particulate sizes, 2.5 microns and 10 microns.³ Just 50 millionths of a gram of 2.5-micron particles per cubic meter is enough for the EPA to recommend that healthy adults avoid prolonged exposure. Unfortunately, indoor air quality can easily range into the realm of the unhealthy.⁴

An air purifier for indoor use can greatly reduce the amount of airborne particulate matter. A HEPA filter, or High Efficiency Particulate Air filter, removes 99.97% of particulate matter that is 0.3 microns in size. Significantly, this is the amount removed of the MPPS, or most penetrating particle. This means that a HEPA filter actually removes more than 99.97% of particles both larger and smaller than 0.3 microns in diameter, making a HEPA filter an effective air purifier for dust. ULPA filters, or Ultra Low Particulate Air filters, remove 99.999% of 0.3-micron particles, and make even greater reductions of particles larger and smaller than that size.

While air purifiers with HEPA and ULPA filters can remove the vast majority of the dust in the air that passes through their air filtration systems, there is only so much air that an air purifier can filter per minute. If new particles enter the air faster than they can be removed, there will not be a net reduction in dust. The same applies for any material the air purifier is designed to remove. This is why, when selecting an air purifier for dust, an air purifier for chemicals, an air cleaner for mold, or an air purifier for any use, the size of the space to be purified needs to be taken into account.

Dust Inhalation

The specific negative consequences of dust inhalation depend on the content of the dust, but above a certain threshold it is harmful to inhale any type of dusty air.⁵ This is why it is important to try to reduce sources of dust and mitigate the production of particulate matter indoors. An air purifier for dust can significantly reduce the amount of overall airborne particles, including pathogens like bacteria, viruses, and molds.