An apparatus for mitigating particle and aerosol contaminants from an
internal environment of a data storage device is disclosed. The apparatus
includes a base, a breather diffusion path formed in the base, a
re-circulating filter channel adjacent the base, and an absorption filter
chamber adjacent the re-circulating filter channel and communicating with
the breather diffusion path.A breather filter removes particulates from
air migrating through the diffusion path. The length and diameter of the
diffusion path precludes transfer of humidity from the external
environment of the data storage device to the internal environment of the
data storage device. A re-circulating filter spans the re-circulating
filter channel and removes particulates from airstreams passing through
the re-circulating filter channel, and a substantially carbon based
absorption filter extracts corrosive gases and organic vapors from the
internal environment of the data storage device.