Air Purifier Standards

IQAir® is proven 100 times better than conventional portable air purifiers.

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While most products on the market today are not tested by any independent laboratories, IQAir® products have passed TWO of the world's toughest standards in true air quality:

Stiftung Warentest (Germany's independent consumer products testing agency) rated HealthPro Plus the best air cleaner for allergen removal. IQAir® was the only device out of ten international air cleaners to receive the top mark "very good" for the removal of airborne particulates.

EN-1822. The IQAir® HealthPro is the world's first air cleaner to pass the world's most stringent HEPA filter test: EN 1822. This test certifies a filter's absolute minimum efficiency for all particles. The efficiency of HEPA filters has been traditionally measured at .3 microns. However, over 90% of all airborne particles found in homes and offices are smaller.

Most air cleaner manufacturers make no performance claims for these important tiny particles. That's because the current .3 micron test for particulate filters was developed in the 1950s. While it gives some performance guidelines for the efficiency of particulate filters, it does not tell us anything about which particles the filter is least efficient at filtering. While a HEPA filter may filter out 99.97% of particles at .3 microns, it may filter significantly less at smaller particle sizes - which are most of what we breath and what contain our greatest health risks.

The EN (European Norm) 1822 is a two part test, which identifies the particle size that penetrates the HEPA filter most easily, hence the name MPPS (Most Penetrating Particle Size). EN 1822, which was released in the year 2000 is the world's most advanced and stringent air filter standard for particulate filters. Many high-tech manufacturers such as Intel already require their filter suppliers to supply them with EN 1822 certification.

This standard constitutes an important step forward for cleanroom technology primarily due to its 'in situ' filter testing. When measurements at the installed filter (not outside the unit) are meticulously carried out, the user has an option for evidencing freedom from leaks with a much high degree of certainty than with any other type of testing. The standard has five parts: classification, performance testing, leak-finding, and collection efficiency determination. Go here for more information about this standard.

The test determines which particles penetrate most easily through the HEPA media. Since the efficiency is strongly correlated to the speed with which the air passes through the media, this is done exactly at present speed - under actual conditions of use. When the most penetrating particle size has been determined (e.g. 0.16 microns for the IQAir® HyperHEPA filter), this information is used in the second part of the test.

The EN 1822 test also uses a test rig in which the HEPA filter is challenged only particles of the most penetrating particle size (e.g. 0.16 microns). This creates an absolutely worst case scenario for the filter.

IQAir's HyperHEPA filters are currently the world's first filters in an air cleaner to have been type-tested inside the IQAir® housing by an independent filter testing laboratory (Filtech Laboratories Switzerland). IQAir's HyperHEPA filter was rated at a worst case efficiency of > 99.95% for airflow rates up to 190 m3/h (112 cfm) and > 99.5% for up to 475 m3/h (280 cfm).

While the efficiency at 0.3 micron gives some indication of filter efficiency for particles it doesn't give you a worst case performance scenario. IQAir® is at the current edge in determining this for its air cleaners. Independent testing has determined that the absolute worst case efficiency at any particles size is better than 99.5% for speeds 4,5 and 6 and 99.95% for speeds 1,2, and 3. As a result, the HealthPro captures up to 100 times more particles than conventional HEPA air cleaners.

Your decision to purchase an air cleaning unit is probably driven by the need for better air quality in your living and working environment. Some standards have been developed throughout the industry. However, most of them fall far short of the level of particulate reduction required for a measurable and meaningful improvement of health and environment. The exception is the EN-1822 standard, as you will see below in our review of these standards and how they translate to true air quality improvement.

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Standards for In-Duct Devices

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ASHRAE Standard 52-761 and the DOP method in Military Standard 2823 may be used to estimate the efficiency of in-duct devices in removing particles. Using the ratings of the ASHRAE Standard 52-76 atmospheric dust spot test. However, it is important to note that these standards are generally used to compare the performance characteristics of one device with another, but cannot by themselves predict the actual effectiveness of a given unit in use in a residence or its useful lifetime. In addition, as discussed previously, the efficiency of these air cleaners may vary by air flow rate and particle load, and removal of some small respirable size particles may actually be lower than assessed by the ASHRAE atmospheric dust spot test. The ASHRAE weight arrestance test is of limited value in assessing the removal of respirable size particles from indoor air.

Because higher efficiency pleated filters are much thicker than filters generally used in standard home heating and/or air-conditioning systems, their use results in substantial air resistance, so they cannot be directly incorporated into the standard residential system. Instead, a system must be specially designed with a fan of sufficient power to create the necessary air pressure and with one or more efficient pre-filters Costs for installation of the system, replacement of pre-filters and filters, and system operation should be considered before deciding whether to purchase higher efficiency filters. Again, the purchaser should be aware of the difference between high "arrestance" and high "efficiency," as provided by the standard tests.

Further information on standards for induct air cleaners can be obtained through a local heating/air-conditioning contractor or from:

Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI)
4301 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 425
Arlington, VA 22203
(703) 524-8800
(703) 528-3816 (fax)

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Standard for Portable Air Cleaners

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The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) has developed an American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-approved standard for portable air cleaners (ANSI/AHAM Standard AC-1-1988). This standard may be useful in estimating the effectiveness of portable air cleaners. Under this standard, room air cleaner effectiveness is rated by a clean air delivery rate (CADR) for each of three particle types in indoor air: tobacco smoke, dust, and pollen.

Note that this test does not assess filtration efficiency of microbials and pathogens much as viruses, bacteria and mold. Neither does this test measure gas and odor reduction. Since most people buy air cleaners for these purposes, it would seem illogical that a manufacturer would be interested in this standard.

Many customers have inquired why CADR AHAM does not rate IQAir® units.

Only a limited number of air cleaners have been certified under this program at the present time. For what it's worth, a complete listing of all current AHAM-certified room air cleaners and their CADRs can be obtained from CADR.

Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM)
1111 19th Street, NW
Suite 402
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 872-5955

There are other factors to consider in using the ANSI/AHAM ratings. The CADR values reported are based on reducing particle levels from sources which emit the particles intermittently rather than continually (this is the primary concern about this test inadequately representing actual indoor environmental conditions). If the source is continual, the devices would not be expected to be as effective as suggested in the table. EN-1822 testing is a continual particle emission test. In addition, the values represent performance that can be expected during the first 72 hours of use. Subsequent performance may vary depending on conditions of use. Use and care directions should be followed routinely to get adequate performance from the air cleaner.

The table below shows the percentage of particles removed from indoor air in rooms of various size by rated CADR, as estimated by AHAM. Because CADR values on air cleaners in the market will vary from the five in the table, the figures are to be used only as a guide to a model's performance. The table provides estimates of the percent of particles removed by the air cleaner and the total removal by both the air cleaner and by natural settling.

The inadequacy of the CADR standard is quickly appreciated by noting how low the filtration efficienty ratings are in the table below. Compare this to the far more stringent standard of the EN-1822 standard noted above. This chart does not denote particle sizes, but in our estimation it only guages particles no smaller than 1 micron (EN-1822 measures worst-case - around 0.16 microns). Keep in mind that 90% of all airborne particles in a home are smaller than .3 microns. For people concerned about health issues when purchasing a portable air purifier, the CADR should not be considered a standard measure of effectiveness.

Estimated Percentage of Particle Removal for Portable Units by CADR and by Room Size
		Percentage of Particles Removed
Room Size	CADR	Smoke (20 min.)		Dust (20 min.)		Pollen (10 min.)
		AC	T	AC	T	AC	T
5 x 6 approx 210 cubic feet	10 40 80	49% 89% 95%	68% 97% 100%	49% 88% 95%	70% 98% 100%	- 57% 75%	- 93% 99%
9 x 12 approx 756 cubic feet	40 80 150	53% 76% 89%	71% 89% 98%	52% 75% 89%	72% 89% 98%	24% 40% 58%	78% 86% 94%
12 x 18 approx 1512 cubic feet	80 150 300 350 450	53% 74% 89% - -	71% 87% 97% - -	52% 73% - 91% -	72% 88% - 99% -	24% 38% - - 69%	78% 85% - - 97%
18 x 24 approx 3024 cubic feet	150 300 350 450	51% 73% - -	70% 87% - -	50% - 77% -	71% - 91% -	23% - - 50%	78% - - 91%
20 x 30 approx 4200 cubic feet	300 350 450	63% - -	79% - -	- 67% -	- 84% -	- - 40%	- - 86%
AC=Removal by the air-cleaning device T= Removal by the air-cleaning device plus natural settling Note: Estimates ignore the effect of incoming air. For smoke and, to a lesser extent, dust, the more drafty the room, the smaller the CADR required. For pollen, which enters from outdoors, a higher CADR is needed in a drafty room. Source: Reference.

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