As health and school officials deal with a second wave of the swine flu, or H1N1 virus, new information is available on the health consequences of exposure to such airborne infectious diseases and the implications on the design, installation and operation of HVAC&R systems.
"While the long-standing public health view is that influenza transmission occurs through direct contact or large droplets, newer data suggests it also occurs through the airborne route, meaning HVAC&R systems may contribute far more to transmission of the disease and, potentially, to reduction of that same transmission risk," said Gordon Holness, president of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineering (ASHRAE) that developed the guidance.
The swine flue has spread to nearly 170 countries, resulting in 1,154 deaths and some 160,000 illnesses since the first reported case in the spring of 2009. With a better understanding of ventilation's effect on the transmission of disease, future incidents on the H1N1 virus may now be easier to prevent, according to Holness. He mentions several technical solutions that are available to assist in avoiding transmission, such as: dilution ventilation, airflow strategies, room pressurization, personalized ventilation, source control, filtration and ultraviolet germicidal irradiation.
ASHRAE's Airborne Infectious Diseases Position Document addresses the impact of ventilation on disease transmission, and can be read at www.ashrae.org/positiondocuments.
Marspec offers state of the art, energy recovery ventilation manufactured by Building Performance Equipment, Inc. To find out more about this technology, please visit: http://marspec.com/indoor_air_quality.html.
Source:
ASHRAE Press Release
August 31, 2009
Contact: Jodi Dunlop
Public Relations
jdunlop@ashrae.org
"While the long-standing public health view is that influenza transmission occurs through direct contact or large droplets, newer data suggests it also occurs through the airborne route, meaning HVAC&R systems may contribute far more to transmission of the disease and, potentially, to reduction of that same transmission risk," said Gordon Holness, president of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineering (ASHRAE) that developed the guidance.
The swine flue has spread to nearly 170 countries, resulting in 1,154 deaths and some 160,000 illnesses since the first reported case in the spring of 2009. With a better understanding of ventilation's effect on the transmission of disease, future incidents on the H1N1 virus may now be easier to prevent, according to Holness. He mentions several technical solutions that are available to assist in avoiding transmission, such as: dilution ventilation, airflow strategies, room pressurization, personalized ventilation, source control, filtration and ultraviolet germicidal irradiation.
ASHRAE's Airborne Infectious Diseases Position Document addresses the impact of ventilation on disease transmission, and can be read at www.ashrae.org/positiondocuments.
Marspec offers state of the art, energy recovery ventilation manufactured by Building Performance Equipment, Inc. To find out more about this technology, please visit: http://marspec.com/indoor_air_quality.html.
Source:
ASHRAE Press Release
August 31, 2009
Contact: Jodi Dunlop
Public Relations
jdunlop@ashrae.org
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