In an article written on September 10, 1999 (http://www.straightdope.com/columns/990910.html), Cecil wrote that, "nobody really knows what HEPA stands for. In ‘The Cobra Event,’ Richard Preston writes that it stands for High-efficiency Particulate Arrestor. This seems to make a little more sense than the answers provided by Cecil.
Matt MacKinnon
Fredericton, NB
Oh, and if you’re interested, the full citation is:
Richard Preston, The Cobra Event, (New York: Ballantine Books, 1997) p. 426.
It’s a very interesting and well-researched novel on biological terrorism.
Matt MacKinnon
In searching a variety of Web sites, I have found several references to High Efficiency Particulate Arresting and to High Efficiency Particulate Air. The latter is used on an EPA site: (sorry I don’t know the HTML for putting in the link)
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/residair.html#What Types are Available
While HEPA filter might not relieve asthma, the charcoal filter over it will take most/all of the cat fur/dander out of the air if like me you have asthma and inherited three cats to go with the one you already have.
The Corona Discharge devices on the other hand merly make the junk in the air migrate to the nearest surface like walls and you.
Anyone who has asthma is better off depending on Flowvent and Serevent than filters or even Predisone which is addictive and destructive. In the two years I was forced to take it, I aged fifteen.