Once heralded as our guardians against COVID's airborne onslaught, airflow defenders may have fallen from grace.

During the COVID pandemic, public health authorities promoted three types of air filters to prevent airborne transmission of the virus. These included high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters to remove viruses from the air; ultraviolet (UV) filters using high-frequency light to deactivate airborne viruses; and ionizers that electrically charge particles so they settle on surfaces rather than float freely.

A scientific review analyzed the worldwide evidence and concluded that the trio of air filters offers little protection against respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. However, it turns out that the review itself has come under scrutiny.

Air Filters Found Ineffective in ‘Real World Settings’

A new systematic review of global observational and experimental studies conducted between 1970 and 2022 analyzing indoor air treatment for preventing infections was just published in Preventive Medicine. Researchers analyzed infection rates and symptoms of people exposed to air purification in indoor public spaces for a minimum of 20 hours weekly.

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