AIR IS THE MOST ESSENTIAL ELEMENT TO OUR WELLBEING. BREATHING CLEAN AIR, WE BENEFIT EVERY CELL FROM MIND TO BODY.
What is Particulate Matter?
Particulate Matter (PM) is the named given to a complex bunch of small microscopic pollutants that float in the air. These include pollution, dust, pollen, pet allergens, viruses, bacteria, mold and many more. When inhaled they can cause significant health risks.
How is Particle Size Measured?
Particulate Matter is commonly measured in microns, or a micrometer. One micron is one-millionth of a meter.
Particulates are are often divided into two basic groups based on their size: PM10 (coarse) and PM2.5 (fine). Check out the chart at the bottom of the page that identifies the size range of a few of the most common problem pollutants and how efficiently O2 Nose Filters can protect you from each of them.
What about PM10 and PM2.5?
Particulates identified as PM10 and higher comprise mostly of the allergy causing airborne pollutants such as pollen, mold, dust, etc. Finer Particulates in the PM2.5 group can travel further into the lungs and thus potentially causing damage at a deeper level.
O2 Nose Filters, using 3M’s patented electrostatic technology, capture over 70% of PM2.5 and nearly 100% of PM10.
PARTICLE SIZE VS. O2 FILTRATION EFFICIENCY
The eye can see particles down to about 40 microns in size but there are many smaller and potentially harmful ones in our immediate air. O2 Nose Filters utilize 3M electrostatic technology to effectively capture pollutants, allergens, viruses and other particulates at the PM10 and PM2.5 micron level. Keep in mind The Condensation Effect makes O2 filters even more effective.
About The Condensation Effect *
Particulate sizes as shown in the chart below are typically given as the ‘dry’ size. But pollen, molds, bacteria, and viruses are never ‘dry’ or else they would die. They constantly absorb moisture from the air around them which significantly increases their size by 80–1000%. The technical term for this process is The Condensation Effect, and because it greatly increases the size of particles, it further increases the effectiveness of the filtration technology in the O2 Nose Filters to well beyond the minimum ‘dry particulate’ efficiency statistics, conducted in a laboratory setting, shown below.
PARTICULATE MATTER
PARTICULATE SIZE *
O2 FILTRATION EFFICIENCY
The Eye of a Needle
1230 microns
Pollen
10–100 microns
90–100%
Pet Dander
1–9 microns
45–90%
Viruses and Bacteria
0.1–10 microns
25–90%
Mold Spores
10–30 microns
90–100%
Saw Dust
30–600 microns
99–100%
Smog
0.01–10 microns
15–90%
Diesel Exhausts
0.05–1 microns
25–40%
The above tests were conducted at LMS Technologies, an independent 3rd party testing lab.