EPA Testing Confirms DIY Air Filters Are Highly Effective in Trapping Viruses

US Environmental Protection Agency research testing of do-it-yourself ‘Corsi-Rosenthal Box’ Indoor Air Filters shows they are 99% effective in removing airborne virus, said a news release from the University of Connecticut.  

The boxes are named after creators Dr Richard Corsi, dean of engineering at the University of California-Davis, and Jim Rosenthal, CEO of Texas-based company Tex-Air Filters. They created the boxes as a low-cost method of reducing the risk of respiratory diseases such as flu, RSV, and COVID-19. A CR box can be built in 30 minutes with about $60 worth of supplies. 

EPA scientists' bioaerosol chamber tested the CR box and found positive results even compared to more expensive air cleaning technologies.  

“The US EPA Office of Research and Development’s 3,000 cubic ft bioaerosol chamber testing results show that the CR box removes 97% of infectious aerosols in just 30 minutes, and 99.4% within 60 minutes,” said researchers. “Importantly, the device successfully captures a surrogate virus for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.”  

The CR box tested by the EPA was known as ‘Owl Force One’ and was built, named, and decorated by Macdonough Elementary School students and members of the UConn Indoor Air Quality Initiative in Middletown, Connecticut.  

To further build upon the EPA’s testing results, researchers have submitted a manuscript for peer review. The University of Connecticut shares instructions online for building a DIY air cleaner and a how-to video by their engineering students. 

Reference  

Woods L. EPA testing shows the power of D-I-Y air filters to trap viruses. EurekaAlert. Published online October 30, 2023. Accessed November 9, 2023. www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1005893