Air Purifier For Bacteria

The air is teeming with bacteria. These microscopic organisms include varieties that are helpful, like the kind that help balance our digestive tract.¹ There is a wide spectrum of bacteria that are neither particularly harmful nor helpful to humans, like the kinds that live uneventfully in the soil. Unfortunately, there are also airborne bacteria which can cause human diseases. Tuberculosis, Legionnaires’ disease, and Staphylococcus infections can all be caused by airborne bacteria.

Thankfully, air filtering with an portable air purifier can greatly reduce the threat of bacterial transmission and infection. An air purifier for bacteria removal can also limit the number of airborne allergens.

Filtering Out Bacteria

Our immune systems are generally up to the task of fighting off many of the bacteria we encounter on a day-to-day basis, so long as the levels of exposure don’t grow too high. This is why, when someone is contagious, you are supposed to limit your exposure to them, as they are shedding large amounts of bacteria into the environment. A single bacterium entering your body will probably be dispatched by your immune system without incident. However, if you are exposed to thousands or even millions of the same bacteria for an extended time, your body’s defenses can stumble.

An air purifier with a HEPA or ULPA filter that can capture bacteria removes airborne pathogens from the air. HEPA filters remove at least 99.97% of particles that are 0.3 microns in diameter. The fineness of the filter is more than sufficient to capture pathogenic bacteria such as M. tuberculosis², MRSA³, and Legionella⁴. ULPA filters remove an even larger proportion of 0.3-micron airborne contaminants, over 99.999% of them.¹ For gaseous pollutants like volatile organic compounds, an activated carbon filter is required. An air purifier with a carbon filter includes some type of solid particle filter with an activated carbon filter for gaseous pollutants.

Capacity and Placement

When choosing an air purifier for bacteria reduction, it is important to select one that is big enough for the space being treated. An air purifier for a small room might not be able to filter air quickly enough to meaningfully reduce the number of bacteria in the air in a large room.

Be mindful of airflow when deciding where to place an air purifier for a room. If you suspect there is a source of contamination in the room, see if it is possible to place the air purifier in a way that draws the contaminated air into the air intake. This way you won’t be blowing the pollutants around the room.⁵ Care should also be taken to ensure that the intake and output vents are not blocked by objects.