A shrouded hard disk drive includes one or more contamination filter cavities embedded within the shroud for capturing airborne contaminants circulated within the drive during normal operation. The present invention takes advantage of naturally occurring radial and circumferential velocity differences between air at the edges of the disk pack and the air at the filter cavity entrance opening (i.e., the inner circumference of the shroud) to redirect airflow through a filter positioned within the one or more filter cavities. After air passes through the filter, it exits through a filter cavity exit opening positioned in proximity to either in the area between the disks, or the area above or below the disk pack. In order to trap particles entrained in the airflow, the filter can be made of a variety of materials, including: air porous plastic film, expanded polyvinyl chloride plastic, a micro porous polymer of cellulose ester formed around a polyester web, a lint-free weave, an adsorbent, an electret, or an electrically conductive material.