Re-Opening Offices and Classrooms — COVID-19 Indoor Air Quality Concerns

The Challenge

 

Even with face coverings being the norm indoors, indoor air quality will become an area that businesses and schools must work to address as people return to crowded conference areas and classrooms across the country. As our understanding of COVID-19 improves, researchers have established that the primary vector for coronavirus transmission is through the air.

 

Studies suggest that this virus spreads when infected people cough, sneeze, or talk — actions that expel respiratory droplets containing virus particles. If these virus-laden droplets are inhaled by people in close proximity, they could transmit the coronavirus.

 

Small droplets evaporate quickly, leaving virus particles — called aerosols, suspended in the air. Research indicates that these coronavirus particles can be active for up to three hours after their release. Those returning to crowded indoor areas for work or school may find themselves in unsafe environments.

 

Implementation of a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) air scrubber is one option for protecting both schools and workplaces from viral infection. Read on to learn how HEPA air scrubbers designed for these types of environments can be a critical safety measure as we return to normalcy.

 

Why HVAC Systems Aren’t the Solution

 

Businesses and schools that rely on their existing HVAC systems may find their arrangement lacking when confronted with a challenge like COVID-19. The air-conditioning systems in most residential spaces and commercial buildings generally have filters rated MERV 12 or lower, which falls far below the HEPA standard. HEPA filters are the most effective at removing small particles. To meet this qualification in the US ratings system, filters must remove 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns or larger.

 

Only a small fraction of air conditioners are powerful enough to accommodate HEPA filters and an upgrade is prohibitively expensive for most. Furthermore, an HVAC HEPA solution would require HVAC technicians not only to install the filters properly but also replace them on a regular basis.

 

Upgrading an existing HVAC system to use HEPA filters is expensive and for the aforementioned reasons – not always feasible.

 

HEPA Air Scrubbers are a Better Option

 

For most commercial spaces, the best solution to address indoor air quality would be a portable air purifier or air scrubber. Such a unit would have to be powerful enough to cover a large indoor space but also be quiet enough to not disturb business activities. HEPA filtration alone will not eliminate all risks for airborne transmission.

 

Although a NASA study documented that HEPA filters can trap particles as small as 0.1 microns—the approximate size of the COVID-19 coronavirus—other direct research is very sparse. The official US ratings system specifies their efficacy only for particles of 0.3 microns. More research is needed to definitively determine a minimum filtration rating that will eliminate infectious coronavirus particles from the air.

 

With this in mind, HEPA filtration will still catch the airborne droplets that carry the virus, and a proactive approach is recommended as more research is done.

 

Meet the XPOWER AP-2500D HEPA Air Scrubber

 

 

As a market leader in the portable air filtration space, XPOWER has designed the AP-2500D to be powerful enough to improve indoor air quality even in large commercial areas. Rated at 2000 CFM, the AP-2500D can quickly filter large volumes of air within schools and offices, as well as hospitals, conference halls, and gyms.

 

Unique in using advanced DC brushless motor technology, this large portable air scrubber is able to be deployed in noise-sensitive environments even with such a powerful motor. The precise variable speed control lets users finely tune the airflow and noise output.

 

In addition to the line of defense provided by the true HEPA filter, the AP-2500D can be used to manage in-room airflows. Changing airflow patterns to create vertical airflow may be another step to mitigate transmission risk.

 

As we reopen businesses and schools across the country, there is reason to anticipate a second wave of COVID-19. The use of portable HEPA air scrubbers like the industry-leading XPOWER AP-2500D is an obvious step in keeping our colleagues and peers safer.