CE Pro March 2022 - 16

Wellscapes
HEALTHFUL LIGHTING | AIR | WATER | SOUNDS | ECOSYSTEMS
5 Things to Know
About IAQ &
HEPA Filtration
All HEPA filtration products are not the
same, and why integrators play a vital
IAQ role in combatting COVID.
By Jason Knott
THE ONSLAUGHT of
COVID-19 has brought the
issue of indoor air quality
(IAQ) to the forefront of
many consumers' minds. For
integrators, that increased
attention in the category
means they need to be prepared
to effectively explain
the science behind some of
the different solutions and
their applications.
Unfortunately, often there
is a slew of misinformation
that arises whenever an issue
becomes top of mind, and
IAQ is no exception. It is vital
integrators take the time to
educate themselves fully on
IAQ standards, HEPA filtration,
and other important
areas in order to serve their
clients most effectively.
" Everyone is trying to take
advantage of the COVID
opportunity, " admits Vinny
Lobdell, co-founder and
president of upstate New
York-based Healthway
Family of Brands, makers of
Intellipure, which has been
providing IAQ solutions for
more than 30 years. " It's key
16 | CE Pro March 2022
to understand the technology
and recognize that all
indoor environments are
different. Each built environment
may have different
problems and therefore need
a different solution. "
Intellipure manufactures
both large-scale medicalgrade
filtration systems capable
of addressing an entire
home or commercial facility's
IAQ needs, as well as small,
portable units that cleanse
the air in a localized area.
The company has worked
very closely with wellness
platform provider Delos
since the outset of the pandemic
to deal with ultra-fine
particles, and aerosolized
particles which can carry
SARS-CoV-2.
These are five vital pieces of
information surrounding IAQ
and COVID-19 of which every
integrator should be aware.
1. All HEPA Filters
Are NOT the Same
Plainly and simply ... all HEPA
filtration systems are not
created equal.
The COVID pandemic elevated the conversation around
indoor air quality, but also brought loads of misinformation.
" The general guideline for
many manufacturers right
now is to just throw a HEPA
filter in a box and claim
'you're good,' " says Lobdell.
Paul Scialla, founder and
CEO at Delos, agrees. He
believes there is a general
misunderstanding in the
market as to exactly what
represents high-quality IAQ
and what does not.
" We've been merging the
health sciences with the
building sciences for the
better part of a decade. We
created the Well Building
movement and the Well
Building Standard. Our International
Well Building Institute
is the world's largest
certification body for healthy
indoor spaces, " says Scialla.
" The real key here is that
consumers need to understand
that any product they
buy may say, 'HEPA-rated filter,'
but that has nothing to do
with the actual efficiency of
that product in terms of total
device output and efficiency.
When you insert a HEPA filter
into any type of air purification
device, there are other factors
that are going to contribute
to whether the true output
filtration efficiency is actually
meeting 99.97% efficiency at
0.3 microns because that's
the benchmark that HEPA
ascribes to. We are seeing
that many manufacturers and
products on the market -
even while they claim 'HEPA
filter inside' on the box -
when you actually put that
entire unit to a test, they are
drastically under the HEPA
efficiency guidelines in terms
of true total device efficiency. "
2. IAQ Is ApplicationSpecific
The
design of an indoor air
quality system deployment is
really dependent upon
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CE Pro March 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CE Pro March 2022
