The cost-effectiveness of standalone HEPA filtration units for the prevention of airborne SARS CoV-2 transmission

Zafarí, Zafar; Oliveira, Pedro M. de; Gkantonas, Savvas; Ezeh, Chinenye

doi:10.1186/s12962-022-00356-1

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The reduction in infection risk was found to be strongly dependent on the virus generation rate, as also discussed in the original studies using the current dose-response model (de Oliveira et al, 2021). However, the absolute value of the risk is only indicative since the virus-generating factor is generally quite uncertain in real Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering frontiersin.org scenarios [see, e.g., (Zafari et al, 2022)]. The relative change in risk is of greater value in evaluating the effectiveness of PerDiVent.…”

Section: Estimates Of Cross-infection Riskmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…More so than including a different cut-off diameter for aerosols (see Section 3.1.3), as the risk of transmission is significantly more affected by viral load in the sputum (de Oliveira et al, 2021). More detailed analyses on airborne disease transmission risk and the correspondence of viral load with variants of SARS-CoV-2 are given in previous work (de Zafari et al, 2022). Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering frontiersin.org 4.2 Results and discussion on energy costs, noise and thermal comfort…”

Section: Estimates Of Cross-infection Riskmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Personalized displacement ventilation as an energy-efficient solution for airborne disease transmission control in offices

Heij

Gkantonas²,

Mastorakos³

2023

Front. Mech. Eng.

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There is evidence to suggest that airborne droplets play an important role in the transmission of respiratory diseases. The highest risk of exposure to these pathogens is in indoor environments, where airflow control has been recognized as one of the most effective engineering means to combat its spread. However, this can contribute to a significant increase in energy costs, as conventional ventilation is often not designed to remove contaminants efficiently. In this study, Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations were used to analyze how a novel ventilation approach, called Personalized Displacement Ventilation (PerDiVent), can simultaneously reduce both pathogenic airborne transmission and reduce energy costs in an open office. In addition, thermal comfort and noise were investigated to assess the practicality of the concept. PerDiVent was found to reduce the risk of cross infection by a factor of 1.08–2.0 compared to mixing ventilation in the worst and best case scenarios analyzed, and lead to savings in mechanical power of at least 30%. Furthermore, there is great potential to further improve the system and to increase the stated numbers substantially with relatively simple alterations to the design. Tools that can be used to great advantage for such optimization are also proposed in this work. These include a simple integral model and analytical metrics to estimate the reduction in cross-infection risk and energy savings as a function of PerDiVent’s effectiveness in removing contaminants. Finally, the system has a modular and highly flexible arrangement, which makes it suitable for retrofitting purposes in various indoor environments and integration with current ventilation systems. The concept shows great promise for the future, where ventilation is required to create healthier and more sustainable environments.

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Section: Estimates Of Cross-infection Riskmentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: Estimates Of Cross-infection Riskmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personalized displacement ventilation as an energy-efficient solution for airborne disease transmission control in offices

Heij

Gkantonas²,

Mastorakos³

2023

Front. Mech. Eng.

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“…The new standards indicate that restaurants and similar establishments should clean the air approximately 28–40 times per hour, depending on occupancy level (more precisely, 40 cubic feet per minute per person [cfm/person] or 20 L per second per person [l/s/person]) to reduce airborne illness transmission, approximately double the historic standard of 15 air changes per hour in U.S. operating rooms. To put in context, many restaurants, bars, and similar establishments clean the air 0.8 times per hour [ 43 ], 35–50 times lower than the current ASHRAE air cleaning standards. As the engineer Devabhaktuni Srikrishna frequently notes, even fish get 4–6 full water exchanges per hour in properly running fish tanks [ 44 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultivating community-based participatory research (CBPR) to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic: an illustrative example of partnership and topic prioritization in the food services industry

Hoerger,

Kim,

Mossman

et al. 2023

BMC Public Health

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Background As an illustrative example of COVID-19 pandemic community-based participatory research (CBPR), we describe a community-academic partnership to prioritize future research most important to people experiencing high occupational exposure to COVID-19 – food service workers. Food service workers face key challenges surrounding (1) health and safety precautions, (2) stress and mental health, and (3) the long-term pandemic impact. Method Using CBPR methodologies, academic scientists partnered with community stakeholders to develop the research aims, methods, and measures, and interpret and disseminate results. We conducted a survey, three focus groups, and a rapid qualitative assessment to understand the three areas of concern and prioritize future research. Results The survey showed that food service employers mainly supported basic droplet protections (soap, hand sanitizer, gloves), rather than comprehensive airborne protections (high-quality masks, air quality monitoring, air cleaning). Food service workers faced challenging decisions surrounding isolation, quarantine, testing, masking, vaccines, and in-home transmission, described anxiety, depression, and substance use as top mental health concerns, and described long-term physical and financial concerns. Focus groups provided qualitative examples of concerns experienced by food service workers and narrowed topic prioritization. The rapid qualitative assessment identified key needs and opportunities, with help reducing in-home COVID-19 transmission identified as a top priority. COVID-19 mitigation scientists offered recommendations for reducing in-home transmission. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic has forced food service workers to experience complex decisions about health and safety, stress and mental health concerns, and longer-term concerns. Challenging health decisions included attempting to avoid an airborne infectious illness when employers were mainly only concerned with droplet precautions and trying to decide protocols for testing and isolation without clear guidance, free tests, or paid sick leave. Key mental health concerns were anxiety, depression, and substance use. Longer-term challenges included Long COVID, lack of mental healthcare access, and financial instability. Food service workers suggest the need for more research aimed at reducing in-home COVID-19 transmission and supporting long-term mental health, physical health, and financial concerns. This research provides an illustrative example of how to cultivate community-based partnerships to respond to immediate and critical issues affecting populations most burdened by public health crises.

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“…Building on the idea of a PAPR buggy, also consider the potential for a HEPA lter [27][28][29][30][31][32] to provide clean air within a so-called HEPA buggy. The PAPR buggy functions as a larger version of traditional PAPR head gear -it expands upon the traditional space.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Powered Air-Purifying Respirator (PAPR) and High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) Buggies to Improve COVID-19 Safety for the Youngest Children: Evaluation of Prototypes

Hoerger

2023

Preprint

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Introduction: Young children are susceptible to COVID-19 infection in high-risk settings because they cannot begin vaccination until at least 6 months old and cannot mask safely until at least 2 years old. During essential activities, parents have attempted to protect children in strollers using rain covers, but these provide limited protection against airborne transmission. The investigator examined various models of rain-covered strollers that used either PAPR or HEPA air cleaning devices to provide safer air, so-called “PAPR buggies” and “HEPA buggies.” Materials and Method The investigation examined six models that varied based on the type of air filter, (PAPR, small/large HEPA), stroller, and rain cover, and the number of children (single or twin). Key outcomes were a qualitative assessment of strengths and limitations, air flow metrics, and sound intensity. Although all models used safe commercially-sold rain covers, the smallest model was also tested for air quality. Results The investigator evaluated each model as acceptable. The PAPR buggies are discrete, whereas the HEPA buggies offer greater flexibility in price and air flow rates. Models had a median of 185.26 air changes per hour, ACH (range of 57.22-951.33), equivalent to 12.35 times the standard for U.S. operating rooms (range of 3.81–63.42). Sound intensity was equivalent to a conversation or office setting (55.5–64.6 dB). Air quality testing revealed no safety concerns. Costs are reasonable for many families. Discussion PAPR and HEPA buggies are additional tools families can use as a part of a multifaceted strategy to improve safety in high-risk settings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The models evaluated were reasonable, provided excellent air flow, and had tolerable sound levels. There were no safety concerns, though parents are cautioned to only use commercially-sold, safe rain covers. The investigator offers suggestions for disseminating the widespread use of PAPR and HEPA buggies.

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The cost-effectiveness of standalone HEPA filtration units for the prevention of airborne SARS CoV-2 transmission

Cited by 6 publications

References 36 publications

Personalized displacement ventilation as an energy-efficient solution for airborne disease transmission control in offices

Personalized displacement ventilation as an energy-efficient solution for airborne disease transmission control in offices

Cultivating community-based participatory research (CBPR) to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic: an illustrative example of partnership and topic prioritization in the food services industry

Powered Air-Purifying Respirator (PAPR) and High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) Buggies to Improve COVID-19 Safety for the Youngest Children: Evaluation of Prototypes

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