Table of Contents
THE HISTORY OF AIR PURIFIERS.
Before heading to the history of air purifiers let’s know what an air purifier is.
Do you know your rooms are not so clean as they appear/ seem? There will be so many
contaminants around you within the so-called cleanest room that you have. So to remove all
these pollutants and thereby boost the quality of the air inside your spaces some devices are used.
These are called air purifiers. They can help you to get out of this problem and make the space
around you better.
A small timeline to the history of air purifiers.
- In 1830-Charles Anthony Dean awarded a patent for a device with a copper helmet that is attached with a flexible collar with a garment
- In 1860 – John Stenhouse created the first practical respirator.
- Between 1871-1874- John Tyndall discovered a good that filtered unwanted smoke and noxious gas from the air.
- In 1950-HEPA filters commercials
- In 1963- the first residential HEPA filter sold in Germany.
Now let’s see all these in detail.
When we talk about the history of air purifiers we have to be aware of the reason which made scientists invent this product.
Many of you may think that every invention in machinery which made human work easy is invented with the latest technologies and all. But the reality is different. All these innovations we are using now have strong roots in the early centuries. What the latest technology did is nothing but made production much easier.
The motivation behind the invention
During the 18th century, one of the major sources of energy was coal. It provided heat energy and power which made the train move. That much impact the charcoal had during that time. This was a blessing for the population but still, the offshoots from the burning of coal made so much air pollution which included smog and odour. So a major population had to face numerous breath problems. Hence it became a must for scientists to develop something efficient to get rid of this problem. Hence the core of the air purifier started to bloom. Let’s see the major breakthroughs during the invention of the air purifier.
First footsteps, towards air purifiers.
The first breakthrough in the field of air purifier development was in 1823. During that time the issues related to the burning of charcoal were high and severe. Hence it became impending to find something clever to solve this crisis. During this two brothers named John Dean and Charles Dean came up with a thoughtful idea. Yes, something to purify the air. During that particular period, they needed air purification for the firefighters who worked within the polluted atmosphere. To assist the firefighters the brothers brought up something called ‘Smoke helmet’. The brothers patented the product. It was a blessing for the workers who laboured in the toxic smoky areas.
Major milestone in the evolution of air purifiers.
Now you have seen the first footstep towards an air purifier. It was enough for that time but as time goes things and workspaces have changed. So during that to meet the requirements people needed something new and more efficient. Hence after some years in 1854, a person called John Stenhouse introduced some progressive technologies to meet the requisite. The idea submitted by John Stenhouse was something new and resourceful. He introduced a charcoal-based filter system which was really convenient for the labourers, who had to work without any precautions towards the chemical and toxic gases. Thereby he invented the first charcoal filter mask. It was really helpful for refining the air they inhale. Which was a blessing for them to survive the tough situations and made it a bit comfy and easy for the workers.
Major success in history.
In 1940 the major achievement corresponding to the elaboration of air purifiers happened. The scientists thereby built a High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filter called HEPA. This was a huge achievement of the year. These HEPA safeguarded the researchers and warriors who had to confront radioactive substances and toxins expelled from the laboratories. So this innovation made the risky task easy with seeping infinitesimal air adulterants.
Manhattan Project
Just above we mentioned that HEPA was really a blessing for soldiers and researchers, the answer for how and why is nothing but the famous Manhattan project.
- HEPA executed its efficiency and gained more attention and acceptance with its contribution to the Manhattan Project.
- This project was the crucial step in world war II.
- In order to develop nuclear weapons for the first time the researchers had to spend so much time in laboratories and had to trial so many tasks to develop nuclear weapons.
- There they had to handle many radioactive substances which are highly active and dangerous.
- So the scientists had to spend so much effort and time within the lab where they were vulnerable to risks.
- To get rid of these highly radioactive particles and toxins they needed a purification system, which was a must for them.
- Thereby HEPA played a crucial role and did the responsibility more to make them safe.
- This was a crucial point in terms of air purification.
This is the way where HEPA gained more acceptance and contributed to the overall growth of the nation. Hence this air purification system became more accepted and needed.
Stepping to residential air purifiers.
Even though HEPA was a huge successful innovation, it was not suitable for residential purpose. HEPA was so expensive and massive. Therefore the product was not so comfortable and was not user friendly furthermore. This lack of comfort made it inconceivable for households. So therefore so many advanced technologies and developments were experimented on HEPA to make it sufficient for the in house needs. Over the years it happened HEPA served as a better option for residential purposes.
The first residential purifier.
The first residential purifying system was developed even after years. Approximately after 23 years in Germany in 1963 two scientists named Manfred and Klaus Hammes launched the first air purifier suitable for residence.
During that time In America Clean air act was inducted. This made a high demand of air purifiers. Thereby started more researchers and development and made convenient air purifiers.
Recent developments
Now the technologies and the total scenario has changed so much. Advancement in every field is prevailing. Now the air purifiers have numerous features in filtering theories, ideas, methods and many more. So many brands are available in the market with different details to make it more competitive. Now many of the air purifiers can even solve chemical sensitivity issues itself. Advanced automatic features, some wireless activities and so many progressions are there in the recent years to make this more convenient for the buyer.
Wrapping up
Air purifiers are now a part of everyone’s life. It is a must now. This helps us a lot to make the air around us safe. All of us know the features and principles of it’s working but many of us are not aware of the past where the history behind air purifiers lies. At least some of you may have interest to know the history behind air purifiers. So we dedicate this article for them who are excited enough to know the roots.