About ISO 16890
Introduced in 2018, ISO 16890 is a global standard that defines testing procedures and specifies general requirements for assessing and classifying air filters used in general ventilation equipment. It was designed to replace existing standards of ASHRAE 52.2 in the USA and EN779:2012 in Europe.
ISO 16890 concerns air filters that are commonly used in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) applications and therefore influence the indoor air quality across a wide range of industries worldwide, in turn affecting a large number of people including consumers, employees and patients.
Before ISO 16890 was implemented, classification standards were mainly localised and differed across the world. Having a common method of testing and categorising air filters in line with their particle efficiencies allows engineers and maintenance teams to choose the most suitable filter types for their system. This can improve air quality, resulting in a safe and clean environment.
The standard refers to particle matter efficiencies and involves three different sized particles, ePM1, ePM2.5 and ePM10. ISO 16890 includes ePM1, which represents extremely fine particles that are known to be the most harmful to human health. This means that the standard should improve air quality that directly affects human health.
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The Benefits
The global standardisation offers a handful of benefits, including:
High quality air – The new standard will lead to higher filtration performance, with improved indoor air quality (IAQ).
Real world – The ISO 16890 standard more closely reflects how filters are used in a real world environment.
Health benefits – By recognising ePM1 particles in the air, ISO 16890 works to improve indoor air quality that can affect human health.
