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Sub-micron Filtration for Commercial HVAC SystemsIndoor Air Quality is a Public Health Issue
Information Briefing on:
They are effective on 1 micron and above size particles only.
MERV. rated filters are not effective on sub-micron size particles.
Standard HVAC systems allow for 0” to 1” static pressure wc.
Sub-micron filtration can be achieved through HEPA filtration.
HEPA ‘s can not be used for standard HVAC equipment due to their very high static pressure.. 1” to 3” wc.
MERV. rated filters under the ASHRAE 52.2 standard were designed as a maintenance item, to keep the heating coil clean.
MERV. Rated Filters
The Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers, ASHRAE, published their Position Paper, “Airborne Infectious Disease”.
This groundbreaking document verifies that sub-micron pathogens travel airborne over very long distances including through HVAC systems, which act as a mixer.
They document that, Droplet Nuclei, sub-micron size pathogens including; Influenza, Measles, Mumps and TB are transmitted airborne. ASHRAE even provides the mathematical model by which this occurs.
All inhabited buildings contain 200,000 to 800,000 permanently suspended sub-micron particles, per liter of air, easily verified with a laser particle counter.
Every cough or sneeze produces upward of 1 million particles, 200,000 of these are sub-micron in size, continually re-infecting air space.
Hospital Acquired Infections are now the Sixth Cause of Death in the U.S.
Public Health must consider the new information we have regarding drug resistant diseases, pandemics, zoonosis and mutating virus.
Schools, churches, business’s, shopping centers, truly any building where people congregate, can contribute to the spread of pathogens from one individual to another through their HVAC systems.
Once one family member is infected, the transmission moves from that individual to others, then to different locations infecting other families, and so on.
Prevention must be the focal point in Public Health.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
Walter Bischoff of Wake Forest University discovered that an 8 year-old emitted 20,000 RNA copies infecting 60+ classmates.
Low MERV Filter Ratings: Many schools have low MERV rated filters like MERV 4-6. You need a MERV 16 or higher to have any real affect on airborne viral capture.
No ultraviolet lights: Few schools in the US use ultraviolet lights. Schools with UV lights have enjoyed lower airborne viral transmission rates and higher indoor air quality.
Dry environments: Many schools have 15-25% relative humidity levels indoors! This is the PERFECT environment for airborne viral transmissions and contagions.
Bathrooms with ceiling exhaust fans: Most bathroom designs do not incorporate floor level exhaust vents which is the level where most events occur.
Schools: epicenter for the spread of disease
Flu infected children easily infect their classmates as they all intermingle. Spread is rampant since child have immature immune systems.
Schools now have many good reasons to take a vested interest in advocating for clean and properly humidified air in the school especially in the dry wintertime.
Leading virologists Peter Wright1, Gabrielle Neumann2 and Yoshihiro Kawaoka3 state that flu epidemics start in schools
1. Professor Pediatrics, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology Chief, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases Vanderbilt University School of Medicine 2. Associate Professor Department of Pathobiological Sciences School of Veterinary Medicine University of Wisconsin3. Professor Department of Microbiology and Immunology University of Tokyo
Adverse affects of dirty air costs $636 per employee per year *Air affects everybody in your facility90% of the average person’s time is spent indoors Disease moves through the airParticulates damage electronics and machinesAsthma is particulate induced.
Air Quality is a Public Health Issue
* Data from Carnegie Mellon School of Architecture
Technology is available for improved air quality
Technology is available to monitor the air quality
Acting to clean up the indoor air pollution will:
New Technology for Indoor Air Quality
Dramatically improve IAQCurb community acquired
infections and hospital acquired infections
Lower cleaning costsLimit the destructive power of
dust on indoor equipmentSave money while improving
quality of life Establish you as a trend setter in
the IAQ business
Facilities managers attempting to address this issue are left with choosing UV, with the high installation and maintenance costs or stand alone HEPA ceiling or room units that are even more expensive to purchase and maintain.
HVAC manufacturing companies are attempting to develop new solutions to address the necessity for preventing the spread of airborne sub-micron size pathogens through their equipment.
The Trane Company just introduced a rooftop catalytic oxidization unit to eradicate airborne pathogens.
Current Status / Trends
Most professionals suggest air filtration as a logical solution to the issue of airborne sub-micron pathogens.
Air filtration uses existing equipment and thereby is relatively inexpensive.
Air filtration does not add any chemicals or substance that inhabitants might be allergic or react to.
Filters have a very low maintenance cost
The problem has been that MERV. rated filters do not effectively filter sub-micron particles the size of known pathogens and HEPA cannot be used due to the high static….. until now.
Air Filtration, the Logical Solution
Containment Filters use a very high voltage static charge to draw sub-micron particles to the fiber in the media, allowing fibers to be far apart creating very low static pressure.
This feature allows for high initial sub-micron filtration on every HVAC system, even low flow P-Tac units.
Containment Filters
Containment Filters are manufactured in a variety of configurations to meet most HVAC requirements. All have low resistance A flat pad, lowest cost, for use at return registers, or in low flow unit
ventilator, P-Tac systems. A tapered cube for increased surface area, for roof top units
designed for standard HVAC holding frames. Bonnet design for floor dryers or fans.
Custom Configuration includes MERV. rated Pre-filter for high dust conditions.
Containment Filter - Complete System
The issue of airborne particles and pathogens within facilities is complicated, but can be addressed.
The numbers from HAI’s / CAI’s are staggering. These are unnecessary loss of life and cost to our medical system.
Simple, cost effective solutions must be included by building managers to address these issues.
This is a fight we can and must win to address the spread of airborne transmission of disease.
Simple, Cost Effective, Solution
