| The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers | | | | so useful to marketers of mass produced air |
| (AHAM), which tests air purifiers, certifies, and | | | | purifiers. |
| publishes Clean Air Delivery Rates (CADR), is a | | | | First, and worst, CADR does not measure |
| home appliance manufacturers industry lobbying | | | | removal of the health hazards we buy air purifiers |
| group. | | | | to collect! Experienced users will have noticed the |
| In the 1980's AHAM established a testing system | | | | large particle size specified: .9 to 11 microns. The |
| and certification program for portable room air | | | | larger particle size focus is far above the .3 |
| purifiers: Clean Air Delivery Rate. | | | | micron HEPA range, it favors cheaper units. |
| The delivery rate was designed to "help" buyers | | | | Since 90% of all particles are smaller than .3 |
| evaluate air cleaners. Objective standards were, | | | | microns, and these tiny fragments are the most |
| and still are, needed. It is difficult to critique a | | | | hazardous to health, what is important is the air |
| flawed system which stands between consumers | | | | purifier's ability to remove sub-micron particles in |
| and anarchy. | | | | the .5 micron and smaller range. CADR is designed |
| Air purifier advertising often claims that the AHAM | | | | to divert attention away from this critical area. |
| delivery rate is the key information consumers | | | | Secondly, CADR is completely irrelevant to |
| should use to evaluate air purifier performance. | | | | chemical contamination of all kinds. Volatile Organic |
| "Just look for the AHAM seal." | | | | Chemicals (VOC's) are molecular sized. |
| AHAM uses an independent laboratory to verify | | | | Next to them .9 microns is the Rocky Mountains. |
| clean air exhaust volumes submitted by | | | | Air purifiers with real carbon chemical filtration and |
| manufacturers for given air purifier models. | | | | tightly sealed and gasketed filters are at a big |
| Air cleaners are rated for ability to remove dust, | | | | disadvantage in the CADR game. With real carbon |
| pollen and smoke. | | | | filters and ultraviolet light air purifiers, faster is not |
| CADR tests last only 20 minutes. | | | | necessarily better. |
| A closed chamber is filled with dirty air to clean; | | | | Third, the short tests obscure long term |
| particles ranging in size from .09 microns to 11 | | | | performance shortcomings of electrostatic |
| microns, represent tobacco smoke, mulberry | | | | precipitators and inferior HEPA models, both of |
| pollen or Arizona road dust. | | | | which have efficiency declines with age. |
| Clean air delivery rate is the volume of air that a | | | | AHAM certification is voluntary, and only 27 |
| specific air purifier cleanses of a specific particulate | | | | companies have joined up. Builders have to pay a |
| pollutant in cubic feet per minute. | | | | fee as high as $10,000 to have their product |
| Strong air purifiers have CADRS in the 400 area, | | | | certified. AHAM also extracts a commission on |
| machines rated below 100 are very weak. | | | | every sale of a box bearing the CADR seal. Who |
| The AHAM CADR directory is published twice a | | | | pays for this? Buyers do. |
| year. | | | | Many quality brands and smaller companies have |
| So what's wrong with the AHAM delivery rate? | | | | not submitted their products to AHAM. |
| It's what CADRs avoid saying that makes them | | | | |