demand for hepa filters grows with covid-19 crisis

hepa is an acronym for high-efficiency particulate air. hepa filters are able to trap many particles that would otherwise be recirculated in your air. it’s a bit more than a vacuum however, as it also captures bacteria and moisture. while originally conceived to protect nuclear workers in the u.s., today most airlines use them to keep air on planes healthy.manufacturers claim these filters capture 99.7 per cent of particles that are 0.1 to 0.3 micrometres in diameter. one such canadian manufacturer, amaircare, has been ramping up production of their hepa filter products to meet the demands of the covid-19 pandemic.as of tuesday, the company had more than 2000 orders of various models for canadian hospitals, veterans’ affairs hospitals in the u.s., as well as long-term care homes, retirement homes and regular homes.while the virus can spread on surfaces, there is an airborne aspect to it as well, hence the social distancing guidelines that have been implemented.“these are all ways of controlling potential spread,” says jim woods,  it doesn’t stop the requirement for washing hands and social distancing. you have to think of them all together,” says jim woods, amaircare president.the canadian military has also been using amaircare’s portable airwash filter at the cfb trenton base where travellers have been quarantined upon arrival back to canada. it was originally developed in the days of sars for use in tents so that patients would not have to go through the hospital emergency rooms and potentially spread infection.while the specific model from the era of sars has been discontinued, they are being reused by the military with fresh filters. it can be seen at 0:45 in this clip.“[these filters] could very nicely reduce levels in hospital rooms,” says woods. “if it gets serious, we can put additions on our equipment that allow the room to be run negative or positive depending on what the requirement would be.”woods is referring to the method of installation. hepa filters can be installed positively, which will pressurize a contained space to prevent contaminants from entering the room. a negatively pressurized room means that air is drawn in from openings or leaks to prevent contaminants from leaving the contained space.given that inside spaces are five to 10 times more polluted than outside air, and we’re spending much more time inside, it only makes sense to account for when it comes to covid-19 prevention.“the hepa filter can work to change the air in the room the person was infected in, six to 10 times an hour and that would help to mitigate the volume of airborne issues coming from that person,” says woods. “for someone who is older, living in a home with a younger person, it would be a tremendous advantage for them.”given that we swallow around 11,000 litres of air each day, and that the covid-19 pandemic escalates every 24 hours, woods puts it quite simply. “our production is much higher than it was in our first quarter of last year.”nsokic@postmedia.comwant to keep up on covid news and trending health stories? sign up for our newsletter here.