- Request for info: more details on the original HEPA filter
HEPA is an acronym for "high efficiency particulate air".
A HEPA filter (theoretically) can remove from the air at least 99.97% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria and any airborne particles with a size of 0.3 micrometres or larger.
The original HEPA filter was designed in the 1940s for and used in the Manhattan Project to prevent the spread of airborne radioactive contaminants. It was commercialized in the 1950s and the original term became a registered trademark and a generic term for highly efficient filters. Over the decades, filters have evolved to satisfy the higher and higher demands for air quality in various high technology industries, such as aerospace, pharmaceutical processing and electronic microcircuitry (computer chips). Today, a HEPA filter can be any highly efficient air filter that can attain the same filter efficiency performance standards of at least 99.97% and 0.3 micrometres or larger.
The HEPA filter should not be confused with AHEPA, the Greek-American organization.
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