Air Purifiers Glossary of Terms



ACTIVATED CARBON FILTER - A form of carbon "activated" with oxygen; these filters are capable of absorbing and removing many chemical pollutants, gases and odors from the air.

ACTIVATED OXYGEN - The linking of three oxygen molecules, also known as Ozone.

AHAM - (AHAM) Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.

AIR CHANGES PER HOUR - The amount of times per hour in which an air purifier can clean and re-circulate all the air in a given room.

AIRBORNE - Used to describe particles or substances that float in the air.

AIRFLOW - The distribution or movement of air.

ALLERGEN - A normal substance that can cause a reaction to a person's health or immune system including pet dander, smoke, pollen, dust and more.

ANIMAL DANDER - Tiny scales of an animal's skin.

ANTIBACTERIAL & GERMICIDAL FILTER - An air purifier filter that can remove up to 99% of germs, bacteria and viruses in the air.

ANTIGENS - Substances that are capable of inducing an immune response. Antigens are often foreign particles that enter the body during an infection.

ASHRAE - (ASHRAE) American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.

CADR - (CADR) Clean Air Delivery Rate indicates the volume of filtered air delivered by an air cleaner. The AHAM issues three CADR numbers - one for tobacco smoke particles, one for dust particles and one for pollen, ranging from 10 - 450.The higher the number, the faster the air purifier filters the air.

CFM - CFM (Cubic feet per minute) is the measurement of air flow that passes by a point in one minute.

CHARGED MEDIA FILTER - This filter captures sub-micron particles such as dust, pollen and VOCs.

DECIBEL - (dB) a measure of sound intensity. Examples: 30 dB - whisper, 70 dB - vacuum cleaner, 100 dB - chain saw, 140 dB - jet engine.

ELECTROSTATIC FILTER / PRECIPITATOR - An air cleaner filter that electrically charges particles in the air and then collects them on positively charged plates.

ENERGY STAR - a government program and international EPA rated standard for energy-efficent consumer products.

EPA - (EPA) Environental Protection Agency.

HEPA FILTER - High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters can remove at least 99.97% of airborne particles as small as 0.3 micrometers (µm) in diameter.

IAQ - (IAQ) Indoor Air Quality is a term used to describe how polluted the air is in one confined area.

ION - An ion is an atom or molecule that has lost or gained one or more electrons, giving it a positive or negative electrical charge.

IONIZER - An ionic air purifier produces negatively charged ions (electronically charged air molecules) that attract dust and other particles.

MICRON - one millionth of a meter or approximately 1/25,000 of an inch.

NANO-SILVER - pure de-ionized water and silver in suspension used to trap airborne bacteria.

OSHA - (OSHA) Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

OZONE - Ozone, also known as Acivated Oxygen, is a molecule which has three atoms of oxygen. The normal oxygen molecule we breathe has two atoms of oxygen. In an ozone molecule, the third oxygen atom is very unstable.

PATHOGENS - More commonly known as a germ, this biological agent causes disease or illness.

PHOTOCATALYTIC OXIDATION - (PCO) A process that exposes UV light to a catalyst such as titanium dioxide (tiO2) to produce radicals, which can oxidize or break down typical VOCs, viruses, bacteria and mold, and are commonly used in conjunction with particle filters such as HEPA filters.

POST FILTER - These filters are the last stage of the filtration process, keeping dust dirt and other irritants trapped. Post filters generally have a long lifespan.

PRE-FILTER - Captures large airborne particles allowing HEPA-type filters not to clog as quickly leaving them to trap the smaller particles.

TiO2 - Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is the naturally occurring oxide of titanium and is a photocatalyst when under an ultra-violet light.

UL RATED - (UL) Underwriters Laboratories is the trusted source that has tested consumer products for public safety for over a century.

UV FILTER - a (UV) ultra-violet light filter kills micro-organisms such as viruses and bacteria.

UVGI - (Ultra Violet Germicidal Irradiation) a purifying method that uses UV light in short wavelengths to break down micro-organisms.

VOC - (VOCs) Volatile Organic Compounds such as paint, cleaning products, smoke, aerosol propellants and more.