KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology is stepping up its innovation efforts in air purification towards helping more people make the change to living healthier indoors the new normal.
With a team of more than 100 scientists, doctors and engineers working in air purification, Philips has a long-standing heritage in health tech and has become a global leader in air purification. As part of this journey, Philips has launched its latest home care innovation – the new Philips Air Purifier 3000i Series – to help improve clean air delivery that keeps pollutants, bacteria and viruses at bay.
Indoor air is 2 - 5 times more polluted than outdoor air[1] and is often compromised by PM2.5 ultrafine particles, allergens, bacteria, harmful gases as well as air humidity. Numerous forms of indoor air pollution lurk in modern indoor spaces, giving rise to chronic health conditions such as asthma or allergic rhinitis that affects more than 20% of the world’s population today[2].
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)[3], there has been evidence that “some COVID-19 infections can be spread by exposure to viruses in small droplets and particles that can linger in the air for minutes to hours”, referring to airborne transmission. Lancet[4] has also stated that “proper conditions indoors have the potential to reduce the spread of COVID-19; conversely, improper conditions, such as limited ventilation and filtration, can make indoor environments high-risk settings.”
Philips air purifiers remove up to 99.9% of aerosols from the air that passes through the filter, which may contain viruses. Philips air purifiers also can remove 99.97% of particles as small as 0.003μm (equal to 3 nm), smaller than the smallest known virus[5] from the air which passes through the filter, creating a healthy and safe indoor environment. A similar performance is expected for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) aerosols.
Philips is catering to the increasing consumer demand for innovative solutions to reduce risk of airborne transmission of respiratory droplets as more people become conscious of air quality and seek preventative measures such as social distancing, mask-wearing and enhancing personal hygiene protocols to live healthier.