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Tag: airborne transmission
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A closer look at ASHRAE Standard 241
Since the recent approval of ASHRAE Standard 241 Control of Infectious Aerosols, international interest has grown in how the standard could be applied. That includes Australia. Responding to this interest, Prezant Environmental Managing Director and 241 Committee member Brad Prezant, Affil.AIRAH, is running two breakfast sessions in Melbourne to provide an introduction to and summary of […]
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Australian aerosol tests offer COVID-19 insights
In an Australian first, aerosol tests have been conducted to evaluate the impact of ventilation using a breathing thermal manikin. The results confirm the importance of fresh air in dispersing aerosols, highlight the role that airflows play in aerosol transmission, and raise questions about the effectiveness of a 1.5m social distancing rule indoors. The team […]
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Opinion: What’s the environment got to do with health?
Clive Broadbent, AM, L.AIRAH, is a world-renowned expert on microbial control and was involved in responding to the SARS outbreak in 2003. At that time he formed part of a WHO team that travelled to China to analyse the spread of the virus and produce guidelines on laboratory standards, hospital practices and appropriate ventilation for […]
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NCC the key to making buildings COVID-safe?
Last week, an international group of scientists and indoor air quality (IAQ) experts called for a “paradigm shift” in combating airborne pathogens such as COVID-19 by improving indoor ventilation systems. They say that the potential benefit to public health is comparable to that achieved in the 1800s when cities started organising clean water supplies and […]
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Time for ‘paradigm shift’ on indoor air quality
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) air-quality expert Distinguished Professor Lidia Morawska is leading an international call for a “paradigm shift” in combating airborne pathogens such as COVID-19 by improving indoor ventilation systems. Professor Morawska led a group of almost 40 researchers from 14 countries in a call published in Science for a shift in standards […]
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New modelling of aerosol movement in HVAC systems
A new Australian study published in the latest issue of Ecolibrium has sought to determine the potential for droplets expelled from people when sneezing or coughing to propagate through a typical HVAC system. “The current pandemic has forced the HVAC community to look closely at the systems we use in buildings,” says co-author and LCI […]
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Quarantine restart: What have we learnt?
This week, international travellers began arriving in Melbourne again, and are re-entering Victoria’s revised hotel quarantine facilities. Numbers have been capped at 800 per week and will increase to 1,120 per week on April 15 provided that key recommendations are addressed – including many relating to ventilation. Focus on airborne transmission It has been almost […]
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ASHRAE issues ‘unequivocal’ COVID advice
The ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force has released an updated, unequivocal statement on the airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) in buildings. “Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is significant and should be controlled,” says the statement. “Changes to building operations, including the operation of heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems, can reduce airborne exposures.” […]
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Hotel quarantine outbreaks prompt ventilation review
The Victorian government is conducting a review of hotel ventilation and air conditioning systems amid an increase in COVID-19 cases linked to quarantine. The situation has raised further concerns about the suitability of hotels as quarantine facilities, and the role of airborne transmission in spreading the virus. The Australian hotel quarantine system has registered outbreaks […]
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ASHRAE releases core advice on reducing airborne spread
The ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force has released new guidance to address control of airborne infectious aerosol exposure. It has also issued recommendations for communities of faith buildings. During the course of 2020, experts placed increasing emphasis on the role of aerosols in transmitting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Although at first the virus was […]
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Germany pledges €500m for COVID-safe HVAC systems
The German government has announced a funding program worth up to €500 million (Au$836 million) to support the “Corona-compatible conversion” and upgrading of HVAC systems in public buildings. Lately, much attention has focused on how HVAC systems can mitigate the risk of COVID-19 spreading in indoor spaces. This includes measures such as increasing fresh air […]
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World waits on airborne COVID-19 research
A team of scientists in the UK are using a new method to determine how long Sars-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – can remain viable in the air. The research will help policy-makers better understand the risk of airborne transmission, and inform strategies to prevent the virus from spreading. According to The Guardian, […]
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Webinar on airborne transmission of coronavirus
The Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) is presenting a webinar on Thursday, September 3, on airborne transmission of coronavirus. Since the pandemic began, more attention has been focused on the possibility of aerosol transmission of the virus. This session, presented as part of AIRAH’s Streamline series of webinars, will look at […]
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COVID-19 forcing a rethink on ventilation
Over the past few weeks, as the world registers more outbreaks of COVID-19, the attention on aerosol transmission of the virus has intensified. Researchers at the University of Florida have now made an important breakthrough. The team isolated viable virus from aerosols collected in a hospital room dedicated to two patients with COVID-19. The air […]
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New REHVA guidelines focus on airborne COVID-19
The European Federation of European Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Associations (REHVA) has released an updated guide on how to operate HVAC and other building service systems to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in workplaces. The revised document puts a greater emphasis on the potential for airborne transmission of COVID-19. Accordingly, it proposes an infection […]
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‘Watching brief’ on airborne COVID-19
The World Health Organization (WHO) has acknowledged growing concerns surrounding the airborne transmission of the coronavirus, following the publication of an open letter addressed to the Geneva-based agency, but says more evidence is still required. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the organisation has advised that the virus is primarily spread through large respiratory droplets […]
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COVID-19 likely to be airborne, claim 239 experts
More than 200 scientists from over 30 countries have signed an open letter urging the World Health Organization (WHO) to take the role of airborne spread of COVID-19 more seriously. Published in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal, the letter titled “It is Time to Address Airborne Transmission of COVID-19” challenges the view held by the […]