Increased use of ventilation and air cleaners, designed to mitigate the spread of viral infections in hospitals, is likely to have unpredictable effects and may cause viral particles to move around more, according to a new study from researchers at UCL and UCLH.
Increased use of ventilation and air cleaners, designed to mitigate the spread of viral infections in hospitals, is likely to have unpredictable effects and may cause viral particles to move around more, according to a new study from researchers at UCL and UCLH.
In the study, published in Aerosol Science & Technology, researchers investigated the effect of using built-in mechanical ventilation and portable air cleaners (PACs) upon the spread of airborne particles, which are similar to those breathed out by a person with a viral respiratory infection such as SARS-CoV-2 or influenza.
The team tracked the movement of airborne particles around a typical hospital outpatients’ clinic at UCLH in central London using an aerosol generator and particle counters. A variety of scenarios were simulated, including particle movement to a neighbouring room, throughout the whole clinic, and from one room to another room at the far side of the clinic.
They also tested whether factors such as closing doors, or the position of ventilation and PACs within a room, had an effect on the spread of particles.
Read more at University College London
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