Air cleaners, chemical and UV treatments among tools to safeguard indoor air amid pandemic

Designers, engineers, and commercial building owners have several ways to safeguard indoor air during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Office buildings can slow the spread by spacing desks at least six feet apart and by implementing a few ventilation measures including increasing outdoor air flow. Installing Minimum Efficiency Rating Value (MERV) 13 and above filters—commonly used in hospitals—in air handlers can also have an impact. Indoor air cleaners with high-efficiency particulate air filters will remove even more particulates including pathogens.

Lesser-known strategies include CASPR (Continuous Air and Surface Pathogen Reduction) devices that spray trace amounts of hydrogen peroxide into indoor air that kills pathogens in the air and on surfaces. Short-wave ultraviolet light is also effective in neutralizing pathogens.

This technology can be employed by installing Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation [UVGI] in high-room [9-feet or higher] lighting applications in mechanical units and heating ducts.