The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of different commercially available portable indoor air cleaning technologies in removing dust particulates from the indoor air. Suspended respirable particles are of great concern and often identified as important source of indoor air quality problems. The concentrations of particulate and gaseous pollutants encountered in the indoor environment frequently exceed those found outdoors by factor ranging from 2 to 20.
People who suffer from airborne respiratory allergies often advised to obtain and rely upon portable HEPA filtered air devices for relief. While this advice may work for some individuals, many allergic people do not experience relief or a lessening of symptoms. For allergic individuals for whom this mitigation strategy is not successful, the manufacturers' claims seem over stated.