Raleigh, NC Despite calls from health officials to limit internal meetings, meetings of family and friends continue to push the state’s total daily coronavirus cases to record levels.
In addition to the often-repeated guidance for wearing masks, stay at least 2 meters away from other people and wash your hands routinely, an expert says that keeping the indoor air fresh will also help decrease exposure to the virus.
“COVID really helped us a lot to make people understand [that], if something is invisible, it doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous, “said Ellie Amirnasr, chief executive of qlair, based in Raleigh, which specializes in analyzing and improving indoor air quality in businesses and homes.
Business has improved because of the virus, and customers are generally pleased to know that many of the fixes are simple and quite inexpensive, Amirnasr said.
“The best thing we recommend to our customers is to improve their filtration system,” she said.
With the market flooded with devices that claim to fight the virus, she warned people against spending too much money on things like bipolar ionization systems. She agrees with an important indoor air quality group that there is insufficient evidence that these systems work.
“The tests were done and show effectiveness in the laboratory, not in real life,” she said.
Ultraviolet systems are also being advertised to kill the coronavirus. While this has been a proven method for years, killing viruses in the air in your home is tricky, Amirnasr said.
“Originally, UV was used for surface treatment and for air treatment, if you want to do that, you have to decrease the air flow and give yourself enough time,” she said.
Adding a UV system to your air conditioner may not solve the problem, she added: “With one pass, nothing will happen.”
State-of-the-art air intake filters for your HVAC system can catch viruses, but if you are determined to purchase a device, Amirnasr has recommended getting an air purification system. Although they are sometimes hard to find in stores, she said to make sure you buy one with HEPA filters.
“HEPA filtration units are very useful for capturing very small particles, especially viruses,” she said.
Qlair is working with North Carolina State University and two other schools in the University of North Carolina system to prepare for classroom teaching in the spring.
The company installed sensors in laboratories and classrooms that constantly measure air quality. Using a simple red, yellow and green display, the sensor shows when it’s time to freshen the air. One of the main detection methods is the amount of carbon dioxide in the air, which is what people exhale. When this level becomes high, there is a greater risk of viral spread if someone in the room is infected.
There is no device that has been proven to block the virus, and Amirnasr said that part of the challenge is getting reliable test results,
“Virus measurement is almost impossible because it requires air sampling [and] laboratory tests, “she said.” It’s super difficult. This is too expensive.”
But, she said, one of the best ways to fight the virus is free. Simply open the doors and windows on opposite sides of the house, especially if you have guests.
“This will help to keep the air clean inside the building,” she said. “So, you took off the old air [and] clean air inside the building. You have fresh air and reduce the chance of any virus spreading. “
Amirnasr recommended that people recycle residential indoor air two to three times an hour. Companies should recycle four times an hour and schools six times an hour just by opening the classroom window, if possible.
Ceiling fans or stand-alone fans can help move air, which helps. But Amirnasr said that this is not effective in itself.
“When you are actually turning on the ceiling fan,” she said, “if there is no fresh air coming in, you are just recirculating the air inside the building.
“If you are turning on the ceiling fan, it is best to just do it in combination with the window opening,” he added.