Importance of Air Filtration
Air Filtration is of vital importance
The air is composed of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% various gases and particles. The latter are of various kinds: rare gases, carbon dioxide, fine particles, salts and exhaust gases from road traffic and industry. If this 1% seems small, it is however sufficient to determine the quality of the indoor air (IAQ) and to affirm that the air which we breathe is healthy or unhealthy. The operation of a filter may seem simple in theory, but it is in practice a product of extreme complexity. The filter fibers must allow enough air to pass without resistance while retaining the harmful fine particles.
Every day human being inhales and exhales about 20 kilograms of air. 20 kg is an impressive weight, especially when you know that man absorbs daily 1.5 kg of food and 2.5 kg of water. People are very careful about what they eat and drink. The public authorities provide regular advice on this subject. But the quality of the air we breathe is just as important and deserves as much attention.
Fine particles affect health
The harmful impact of fine particles on health is brought to light every day in newspapers, on the radio or on television. Air pollution and fine particles have become a global health issue as they are harmful to health. The sources of production of fine particles are numerous: road traffic, industry, combustion engines and bio-industry are examples. Unfortunately, the human body is ill-equipped to absorb these fine particles.
The largest fine particles – those larger than 5 microns – can be filtered by the natural human filters of the nose and lung trachea. But the smaller ones penetrate deep into the lungs and can seriously affect our health. Children, the elderly and people with respiratory infections are particularly susceptible.
Air filtration supplies the means to obtain the level of particulate cleanliness required by any definition of “air conditioning.” It extends from the simple task of preventing lint and other debris from plugging heating/cooling coils to removing particles as small as 0.1 micron which could cause a short circuit on a microchip.
In addition to the reasons given above, air filters are used for a wide variety of purposes, some of which include:
- Protecting the general well-being of the occupants of a space
- Protecting the decor of occupied spaces by removing the staining portion of airborne dust
- Protecting the contents of occupied spaces including paintings, tapestries, and other items of historic or cultural value
- Elimination of fire hazards by removing lint and other materials which might accumulate in ductwork
- Extension of shelf life of perishable dairy products by removing airborne mold during processing operations
- Removing airborne bacteria from operating room air to help prevent postoperative infection