Home > Home And Family > Health

The History of Air Purifiers

by chris vorelli

It's nice to be able to breathe--that's something we take for granted sometimes.
However, for almost two hundred years scientists, researchers, doctors, and
businesses have worked diligently to allow people the every day luxury of breathing.
Today with almost ten million asthma suffers alone, air
purifiers are offering allergy sufferers, firefighters, soldiers, coal miners,
hospital workers, PC manufacturers, factory workers, etc. the opportunity to
breathe easier with an absolute plethora of products. Air purifiers and cleaners
have evolved by leaps and bounds from the original "inhalers" and
"lung protectors" of the early days and continue to evolve to meet
the constant need to breathe.

In the early 1800's, John and Charles Dean developed a mask for firefighters
that allowed them to charge into burning buildings without being overcome with
smoke fumes. Along the same time, breathing masks for divers and coal miners
were also being developed. In the early 1850's, John Stenhouse developed a charcoal
based filter which became the first gas mask. The original breathing masks and
gas masks focused on filtering out specific enemies using an approach called
High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA). The addition of charcoal to the filtration
system was a huge advancement because the charcoal filtered multiple toxins.


World War II brought about one of the largest advancements in air filtration
/ purification history with the Manhattan Project. This project focused scientists
and government funding on developing a breathing apparatus that would protect
soldiers from which was later revealed to be the atomic bomb. That development
prompted further advancements to combat chlorine gas, flame throwers, and mustard
gas. A few years later the Ebola plague in Africa drew attention to the need
for electronic generator air filters / purifiers. Corona Discharge Systems (CDS)
used a spark to convert oxygen to ozone and allowed victims the gift of clean
air to breathe.

Over the last twenty years the terms MCS - Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and
ETS - Environmental Tobacco Smoke have become an integral part of air filtration
/ purification technology. Early filtration focused on toxic chemicals, noxious
gas, and foul orders while more modern filtration devices focused on mold, viruses,
bacteria. The need for the air purification devices has expanded over the years
to include protection against fabric chemicals, perfumes, building materials,
pesticides, dust mites, pollen, food odors, along with the plain ole' desire
for fresh air.

The 1980's brought attention to the concept of a dust free environment. HEPA
filters screen 99.7% of all 0.3 micron breathing offenders. Newer developments
such as nebulizers for asthma patients and AHPCO ' Advanced Hydrated Photocatalytic
Technical Quad Catalyst Ultraviolet Cells have helped bring filtration rates
to 99.7% of all microns 0.1 and larger. The Hepa
air cleaner now act as air purifiers using granular carbon filters, among
many other types, to cleanse the air of as many unwanted pollutants as possible.


The number of applications has grown over the years, along with the technology
and development of the indoor
air purifier and filtration process. Thanks to almost two hundred years
of research, the end result is the fulfillment of the simple desire to breathe.

More articles >>