 On many different brands of
air purifiers you will find the
Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) certified Clean
Air Delivery Rate (CADR) logo. This certification is recognized by
the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and used by the
Consumer Union in rating air purifiers for their Consumer ReportsŪ
publication. A complete list of AHAM certified manufacturers can be
found on their website. There are no surprises when it comes to this
list unless we note who is absent. Some of the most prominent air
purifier manufacturers are not members nor do they submit their
products to AHAM testing. In trying to better understand who is
absent and why, it would be helpful to better explain CADR and
AHAM's role in the air purifier industry.
Developed in the early
1980's CADR is a measure of the removal of specific particulates in
a controlled environment. The ability to filter smoke, dust and
pollen particles ranging from 0.10 to 11 microns is measured. CADR
and the testing procedures are approved and accepted by ANSI, which
lends a good deal of veracity to the certification. So with the
stated purpose being to measure "the rate of contaminant reduction"
why would certain manufacturers refuse to submit to this testing
standard?
 While
AHAM created this independently certified measure, what CADR
actually tells us is not necessarily helpful. The CADR does not take
into account factors such as the ability to neutralize and/or remove
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's), germs, bacteria, or viruses, nor
does it provide any information as to the durability or long term
efficiency of the air purifier being tested. Units tested that
employ an electrostatic charge often dramatically drop in efficiency
after a relatively short period of time. As the filter fills, the
ability to attract and trap new particles diminishes, yet CADR
testing measures are not long enough to provide this sort of
information. While electrostatic precipitators units traditionally
rate well with the CADR they also emit the harmful lung irritant,
ozone. The size of the particulate filtered in the test is also
somewhat problematic. Many of your most harmful particles are by far
smaller than 11 microns. The wide size range of particulate filtered
in the CADR test cannot necessarily provide useful information about
filtration at the submicron level. Simply put, most testing
regarding larger particles will result in a higher efficiency
rating; the larger the particle, the easier it is to trap. For
smaller particulate, the DOP (dioctyl phthalate)Test would yield
much more conclusive results as to the efficiency of a given filter
to collect and trap particles as small as 0.30 microns. The CADR
was developed by AHAM, a trade association formed by manufacturers,
and membership to AHAM is voluntary but not without cost.
Manufacturers can gain CADR certification without membership to AHAM,
but fact that AHAM is by origin a trade association, with paying
members, casts an uneasy shadow on the CADR certification, despite
its acceptance by ANSI. One organization attempting to balance the
interests of its dues paying members with creating and using a
product performance test is problematic for some manufacturers.
Further, there is little incentive for an independent manufacturer
to submit its product to a test that does not necessarily measure
some of its most valuable features. An overriding concern is the
basic need for the most accurate evaluation of efficiency, and
AHAM's Clean Air Delivery Rate does not necessarily provide this. While CADR is a measurable performance indicator by which consumers
and retailers can compare air purifiers, it should not be the lone
determining factor in choosing a product. In addition to CADR,
reputation, cost, additional features, true HEPA filtration, the use
of activated carbon, and ease of use all should be considered and
weighed against a customer's individual needs.
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