SynthesisPloS one2021
Should homes and workplaces purchase portable air filters to reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory infections? A systematic review.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 41 citations in OpenAlex.
- Trial
- Experimental Evaluation of the Efficacy of Air-Sanitizing Equipment in Neutralizing Airborne SARS-CoV-2 Virus.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Effect of high-efficiency particulate air filter on children with asthma: a systematic review protocol of RCTs.BMJ open · 2024Article
- Reducing Transmission of Airborne Respiratory Pathogens: A New Beginning as the COVID-19 Emergency Ends.Environmental health perspectives · 2024Review
- Article
- Effect of portable HEPA filters on COVID-19 period prevalence: an observational quasi-interventional study in German kindergartens.BMJ open · 2023Observational
- Indoor-air purification by photoelectrochemical oxidation mitigates allergic airway responses to aerosolized cat dander in a murine model.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Antiviral Effect of Propylene Glycol against Envelope Viruses in Spray and Volatilized Forms.Viruses · 2023Article
- A SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in a plastics manufacturing plant.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Infectious Disease Modeling with Socio-Viral Behavioral Aspects-Lessons Learned from the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 in a University.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2022Article
- A review of facilities management interventions to mitigate respiratory infections in existing buildings.Building and environment · 2022Article
- Transmission of Respiratory Viral Diseases to Health Care Workers: COVID-19 as an Example.Annual review of public health · 2022Review
- Is hydrogen peroxide an effective mouthwash for reducing the viral load of SARS-CoV-2 in dental clinics?The Saudi dental journal · 2022Article
- Experimental testing of air filter efficiency against the SARS-CoV-2 virus: The role of droplet and airborne transmission.Building and environment · 2022Article
- Evaluation of Betacoronavirus OC43 and SARS-CoV-2 Elimination by Zefero Air Sanitizer Device in a Novel Laboratory Recirculation System.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Evaluation of Interventions to Improve Ventilation in Households to Reduce Risk for Transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2.Pathogens & immunity · 2022Article
- Article
- A critical review of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems within the context of a global SARS-CoV-2 epidemic.Process safety and environmental protection : transactions of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, Part B · 2021Review
- Indoor Air Quality Evaluation Using Mechanical Ventilation and Portable Air Purifiers in an Academic Dentistry Clinic during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Greece.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Respiratory infections, including SARS-CoV-2, are spread via inhalation or ingestion of airborne pathogens. Airborne transmission is difficult to control, particularly indoors. Manufacturers of high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters claim they remove almost all small particles including airborne bacteria and viruses. This study investigates whether modern portable, commercially available air filters reduce the incidence of respiratory infections and/or remove bacteria and viruses from indoor air. We systematically searched Medline, Embase and Cochrane for studies published between January 2000 and September 2020. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they included a portable, commercially available air filter in any indoor setting including care homes, schools or healthcare settings, investigating either associations with incidence of respiratory infections or removal and/or capture of aerosolised bacteria and viruses from the air within the filters. Dual data screening and extraction with narrative synthesis. No studies were found investigating the effects of air filters on the incidence of respiratory infections. Two studies investigated bacterial capture within filters and bacterial load in indoor air. One reported higher numbers of viable bacteria in the HEPA filter than in floor dust samples. The other reported HEPA filtration combined with ultraviolet light reduced bacterial load in the air by 41% (sampling time not reported). Neither paper investigated effects on viruses. There is an important absence of evidence regarding the effectiveness of a potentially cost-efficient intervention for indoor transmission of respiratory infections, including SARS-CoV-2. Two studies provide 'proof of principle' that air filters can capture airborne bacteria in an indoor setting. Randomised controlled trials are urgently needed to investigate effects of portable HEPA filters on incidence of respiratory infections.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.