Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
Clean
Bubbles
are the Short
Term COVID
Solution
Masks will
Steadily Reduce
Risk
Essential Role
of Mask
Suppliers
Contagious
Variant
Spreading
Twenty-five More
Fitness Centers
in San Diego
Suing to Allow
Indoor Operation
One Hundred
Fifty Fans can
attend Minnesota
High School
Sport Events
Birmingham
Public Schools
Open with MERV
13 Filters
Bubble
Cleanliness
Assured with
Proper
Monitoring
Honeywell
Particulate
Monitors can be
Used in Clean
Bubbles
Volcanoes Create
Additional Needs
for Air Filters
and Masks
_____________________________________________________________________________
Clean
Bubbles
are the Short
Term COVID
Solution
More than 1% of
people in the
U.S. and several
other countries
are presently
infectious. The
percentage is
growing in most
countries as the
new variant
virus spreads.
Governments can
react by further
restricting
activity with
lockdowns and
restricted
access.
But there
is another
option which is
the Clean Bubble
There are laws
which limit the
individual
occupancy in a
store or school
to 25%. This
means that 25%
of the virus
load is still
present. With
products which
are available
now and are not
prohibitively
expensive 99% of
the virus can be
captured. So the
Clean Bubble
will be
equivalent to a
building with
just 1%
occupancy. The
99% virus
reduction
compares
favorably to any
other option
whether it is
vaccines at 94%
or partitions at
a paltry 10%.
The foundation
of the bubble is
tight fitting
efficient masks.
In areas where
it is
inconvenient to
be wearing the
masks or where
excessive
crowding is
likely fan
filter units and
air purifiers
are needed. All
space needs to
be monitored for
particulate and
CO2. Any entrant
to the safe
bubble will be
scrutinized to
insure that his
mask is the
correct type and
worn properly.
Clean bubble
example:
A large
department store
operates a safe
bubble. Any
entrant to the
store will be
checked to see
that he has a
certified mask
and that it is
being worn
properly. If the
entrant does not
qualify he can
enter a store
area with high
air filtration
efficiency where
he can buy a
mask of the
right design and
size. The store
will offer
quantitative fit
testing and
provide him with
certification.
If there are
2000 people in
the store on
average twenty
of them will be
infectious. The
challenge for
any protective
device is that
the position of
the transmitter
and recipient
keep changing. A
partition has
zero impact if
the transmitter
is upwind of the
recipient. The
virus like
perfume just
flows around the
partition.
The one
protective
device which is
always between
the transmitter
and recipient is
the mask. In
fact when both
are wearing
masks there are
two protection
devices in
between. Masks
are now
available
with 90%
Fitted Filter
Efficiency
(FFE). If both
transmitter and
recipient are
wearing 90% FFE
masks the virus
risk is reduced
by 99%.
Installing MERV
16 or better
filters can
capture 98% of
the virus
passing through
but it will not
necessarily be
between
transmitter and
recipient but it
could add an
additional 0.5%
risk reduction
to
99.5% .
General Area
Risk Reduction
This brings the
total risk
reduction in the
general areas to
99.5%.
Assume that the
average customer
spends 5% of his
time in the food
court. The odds
are that one
infectious
person will be
in the food
court area.
If
everyone is
wearing their
masks in food
lines and only
removing them
when at the
dining tables,
the risk is
further reduced.
Assume the
dining area has
ceiling fan
filter units
which result in
an 98% virus
capture but only
80%
effectiveness
due to the
position of the
transmitter
relative to
recipients. The
transmitter has
his mask off in
the food court a
total of 2.5% of
his store time.
80% of the virus
is removed. So
the additional
risk is 0.5%.
Therefore the
total risk is 1%
compared to a
store with no
protection. The
bubble is
relatively safe
compared to any
other practical
alternative
Masks will
Steadily Reduce
Risk
The above
example was
based on 20
infected people
in a group of
2000. If
everyone wears a
tight fitting
efficient mask
routinely the
ratio of
infected people
will quickly
fall from the 1%
level. When the
infectious rate
drops to 2 per
2000 the
infection risk
is reduced to
0.1% compared to
the present.
Essential Role
of Mask
Suppliers
Billions of
people around
the world are
wearing
inefficient
loose fitting
masks.
If
everyone were
wearing tight
fitting,
efficient masks
schools, fitness
centers, and
office buildings
would be
70 times safer
than they are
now.
A Clean Bubble
initiative will
result in the
widespread use
of Comfortable,
Attractive,
Tight fitting
Efficient CATER
masks. Temporary
reliance on
upgraded
disposable masks
with components
to insure a
tight fit will
also be needed
to create the
clean bubbles.
Use of poor
disposable (Poor
D) masks will
gradually
disappear.
A huge market of
hundreds of
billions of
dollars will be
created very
quickly. The
route to market
will be
radically
changed.
Presently masks
are sold on line
without credible
information
relative to
performance.
With the Clean
Bubble
initiative, each
Clean Bubble
operator will be
involved in mask
selection.
Meat processors,
airlines,
department
stores schools.
office buildings
movie theatres
and other
building
operators will
be tasked with
making sure that
each entrant has
a mask which not
only has the
performance
characteristics
but is also
being worn
properly. The
result will be
that most masks
will be sold
through the
Clean Bubble
operators rather
than on line.
McIlvaine is
identifying the
likely safe
bubble
operators, the
numbers of masks
they can sell,
and the way they
will be sold.
For an
example, a large
university can
create a safe
bubble on a
campus where
students,
faculty,
visitors, and
service
personnel can
total 100,000
people. The
masks can be
sold in the
University Store
along with a
service to help
select the right
size and
provide
fit checking.
Fitness centers
can provide fit
testing and
provide
certificates
that an
individual is
wearing the
right size of
qualified mask.
They can also
provide fit
testing for
other Clean
Bubble operators
in their
vicinity.
Meat processors,
nursing homes,
airlines,
hotels, and
other facilities
where people
congregate will
combine
screening with
provision of
masks.
The McIlvaine
Company with the
Mask Supplier
Support Program
is providing
guidance on the
Clean Bubbles,
identification
of Clean Bubble
operators around
the world and
methods to
successfully
market masks.
For more
information on
the program
contact Bob
McIlvaine at 847
226 2391 or
rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com.
The more
contagious
coronavirus
variant that has
brought Britain
to its knees in
recent weeks is
showing signs
that it is
spreading widely
throughout the
United States,
health officials
and experts said
this week.
So far, the
reported cases
have been mostly
isolated: one in
New York, one in
Florida, one in
Georgia and two
in Colorado. But
California has
been another
story, with 32
cases of the
variant now
reported in San
Diego County.
"I would be
surprised if
that [number]
doesn't grow
pretty rapidly,"
Dr. Francis
Collins, head of
the National
Institutes of
Health, told
the Washington
Post on
Wednesday.
An official from
the U.S. Centers
for Disease
Control and
Prevention
agreed.
"Here at the
CDC, we're
definitely
taking this
seriously, and
we're assuming
for now that
this variant is
more
transmissible,"
said Greg
Armstrong, the
leader of the
CDC's strain
surveillance
program. The
British variant
"is probably not
in every state
at this point,
but I think in a
lot of states."
While the
variant shows no
signs of being
more deadly than
the original
version of the
virus, it could
send more people
into hospitals,
up the number of
COVID-19 deaths,
and prolong the
effort to reach
herd immunity in
this country,
the Post reported.
Herd immunity
will be reached
when the virus
encounters
enough people
with immunity
that it dies
out.
Unfortunately,
the percentage
of people who
need to be
immune for a
population to
achieve herd
immunity is
higher for more
infectious
pathogens.
"We are in a
race against
time," said
Jennifer Nuzzo,
an
epidemiologist
with the Johns
Hopkins Center
for Health
Security in
Baltimore. "We
need to increase
our speed in
which we act so
that we don't
allow this virus
to spread
further and
allow this
variant to
become the
dominant one in
circulation. The
clock is
ticking."
In addition to
the herd
immunity issue,
any variants
could limit the
power of
antibody
treatments
because those
treatments are
so narrowly
focused.
The implications
for vaccines are
less clear in
the long run
because the
virus will
continue to
mutate, though
the consensus is
that the new
coronavirus
vaccines will
likely still
work because
they trigger the
creation of a
broad array of
neutralizing
antibodies and
other immune
system
responses. In
addition, the
mRNA (messenger
RNA) vaccines
from Pfizer and
Moderna can be
altered if
necessary, the Post reported.
Still, the need
to vaccinate as
many people as
possible as
quickly as
possible has
become more
urgent, and some
scientists have
argued that
cutting doses in
half or delaying
the second dose
might be
necessary to
reach that goal.
But the U.S.
Food and Drug
Administration
this week said
it would stick
with the
two-shot dose
backed by
randomized
clinical trials.
Twenty-five more
fitness centers
are suing San
Diego County and
state officials
over coronavirus-related
restrictions
that prevent
them from
operating
indoors —
regulations they
say violate
their
constitutional
rights and the
rights of their
members.
The suit joins
several others
that have been
filed on behalf
of dozens of
businesses, from
churches to
strip clubs,
that have chosen
to push back
against sweeping
state and county
regulations in
court.
Like those
before it, the
lawsuit seeks an
injunction that
would allow the
fitness centers
to resume indoor
operations while
preserving some
health and
safety
regulations set
by the county.
After approving
the restart of
Minnesota high
school and youth
sports practice
and allowing
teams to resume
playing games,
Gov. Tim Walz
answered one
last big
question
Wednesday:
Fans can be
there, too, but
their numbers
will be limited.
Indoor venues
such as gyms and
arenas must
limit capacity
to 25%, with a
maximum of up to
150 people, the
governor
announced as
part of loosening
several
restrictions he
ordered to
counter the
COVID-19
pandemic. Up to
250 people can
attend at
outdoor events.
Officials from
the Minnesota
State High
School League
believe that
teams, officials
and other
personnel
essential to the
game are not
counted toward
those venue
limits, as was
the case during
the fall.
High school
games are
approved to
begin Jan. 14.
Use of masks
will continue to
be required.
Walz's updated
order limits
capacity at
fitness centers,
which also
reopened Monday,
to 25% capacity
and with nine
feet of social
distancing
between people
and machines.
Fitness classes
can increase to
25 people, with
social
distancing and
mask
requirements.
The changes come
with Minnesota
seeing a
substantial
decline in its
COVID-19
positivity rate.
A surge in
November,
attributed to
community
transmission of
the virus, led
to the state
shutting down
football and
volleyball early
and delaying the
start of winter
sports.
The high school
league plans to
post updated
guidance to its
member schools
regarding the
order's
spectator limits
on its website.
It's also
expected to be
shared with
athletic
directors and
other school
officials at a
weekly league
meeting on
Thursday.
Similar to
guidance
provided for
fall sports,
schools will
have control
over how to
implement the
limits.
Managing crowds
with the new
limits could be
more challenging
this winter in
sports where
high-profile
athletes and
matchups between
top teams can
fill arenas and
gyms. Last
winter
basketball stars
Paige Bueckers
and Jalen Suggs
routinely
attracted big
crowds,
including casual
fans and others,
almost every
time they took
the floor.
Those limits
vary in some
respects from
what was in
place during the
fall for indoor
venues.
Many schools did
not allow fans
at girls'
swimming meets
last fall. Some
meets were held
with opponents
competing in
different pools.
However, the
250-person limit
was instituted
for volleyball,
which initially
had been delayed
until spring.
The guidance,
from the
Minnesota
Department of
Education, came
out on Oct. 8,
the same day
regular season
matches were set
to begin.
For outdoor
events, the
250-person limit
mirrors what was
allowed at
football and
soccer games.
Schools were
allowed to be
more
restrictive, and
some that were
in distance
learning did not
permit fans.
Most that
allowed fans
established
systems for
making tickets
available, often
limiting them to
two per athlete.
Several steps
have been taken
by Birmingham
Public Schools
leadership to
prepare school
buildings to
welcome children
beginning next
Monday after
they have been
closed to pupils
since November.
During a study
session of the
district's board
of education
Tuesday morning,
Interim
Superintendent
George Heitsch
and Assistant
Superintendent
for Business
Services Jim
Larson-Shidler
spoke about the
efforts to
improve air
filtration in
buildings.
Larson-Shidler
said the
district has
worked to
install Minimum
Efficiency
Reporting
Values 13
filters
throughout
buildings in the
district, per
recommendations
from the Centers
for Disease
Control. He said
the district had
already started
that process
when the
recommendation
came through.
"In late August,
the CDC came out
with the
guidelines to go
to MERV 13
filters as a way
of filtering the
air," he said.
"We were already
doing that."
The district
plans to welcome
students from
kindergarten
through eighth
grade back to
school beginning
Monday. High
school students
will return to
school beginning
Jan. 19.
Students will
return in a
hybrid model,
with younger
students
attending school
in-person for
half-days five
days a week,
while high
school students
would be
in-person two
full days a
week.
Some buildings
and rooms did
not have the
capacity for the
MERV 13 filters,
Larson-Shidler
said. Some
frames at Groves
and Seaholm high
schools would
not fit the
filters, so
instead, the
district
installed
ultraviolet
lights instead,
which are
designed to kill
viruses such as
the one that
causes COVID-19.
"We installed UV
lights in all of
the Seaholm and
Groves classroom
units, and that
has the same or
better (result)
than the MERV 13
filter," he
said.
In addition,
some individual
rooms in other
buildings, such
as Bingham Farms
Elementary
School and
Berkshire Middle
School, that
could not fit
the filter also
had UV lights
installed,
Larson-Shidler
said.
In addition to
the filters, he
said the
buildings are
running their
heating systems
more often and
earlier to get
air circulating
in them before
they become
populated.
"We're letting
it run a little
bit longer and
also turning it
on faster in the
morning," he
said. "We're
turning it on
about two hours
before, so it'll
get up to
temperature then
also flow
through and
start that 5-6
times per hour.
That's getting
the air that
wasn't
circulating as
much at night,
getting that
moving earlier."
Discussing the
circulation,
Treasurer Amy
Hochkammer said
she wanted to
address the
building
temperatures, as
she said she had
heard from
students that
they were having
to keep their
jackets on
during class
because of the
building's
temperatures.
"My daughter,
when she was at
Seaholm,
literally wore
her coat
throughout class
all day long,"
she said. "A lot
of kids say the
buildings are
just cold."
Larson-Shidler
said with the
buildings
running their
circulators,
it's possible
the air coming
in from outside
could make the
buildings a
little cooler.
He said one way
to combat that
would be to
possibly
increase the
thermostat
temperature a
few degrees.
The Clean Bubble
initiative
depends on
proper
monitoring.
In our
July 15 CTS we
covered our
interview with
Ellie
Amirnasr,
and Marcel
Schoch of qlAir.
A big
potential for
balancing air
quality
management,
equipment
maintenance and
energy savings
lies within
broader use of
sensors, data
analytics and
IoT (Internet of
Things).
Continuous air
quality
monitoring can
be used to
identify
critical areas
and patterns in
indoor air
quality and to
select
appropriate
mitigation
solutions.
Combined with
tracking and
analyzing filter
performance over
time and the
usage of an
optimized
ventilation
schedule based
on real data,
“Clean Air as a
Service” with
access to a
large portfolio
of filtration
products, filter
delivery on time
and guaranteed
air quality will
be provided.
By measuring the
particle size in
the outdoor
air (both PM
2.5 and PM 10)
and then the
particle size of
the indoor air
at various
locations in a
building
information
about COVID is
gained. There
is a general
correlation
between air
pollution levels
and COVID
mortality. More
directly the
particle
reduction
percentage
across an air
filter in an
HVAC system can
be used as
surrogate for
virus removal.
If the PM 2.5
particle
reduction is 70
percent it is
likely that the
virus reduction
is 70 percent.
CO2 is another
indicator. It is
a reflection of
the amount of
outside dilution
air. It can also
indicate the
number of
individuals in a
space. This can
be used with
other software
tracking to
determine the
degree of social
distancing
taking place.
The full
interview can be
viewed at https://youtu.be/T0HJF5MVDU0
Honeywell’s HPM
series particle
sensor is
designed to work
in heating,
ventilation, and
air conditioning
(HVAC) systems
and consumer
products such
air purifiers to
measure air
quality in
homes,
buildings, and
public spaces.
What is the HPM
Series designed
to do?
The HPM Series
is designed to
detect airborne
particulates in
the PM2.5, PM10
ranges
(standard) and
in the PM1.0,
PM2.5, PM4.0,
PM10 ranges
(compact). When
integrated into
a variety of
systems, the HPM
Series can help
alert occupants
to the presence
of airborne
particulates and
trigger
supporting
equipment to
improve indoor
air quality
What size
particles does
the HPM Series
detect?
The HPM Series
can detect
particulates
from 0.3 µm to 5
µm in size. The
sensor uses the
particle count
data to provide
a PM2.5 reading
and calculated
PM1.0, PM4.0,
and PM10
readings.
What particle
distributions
are the HPM
Series
calibrated
against?
The HPM Series
is calibrated to
cigarette smoke,
which most
closely
correlates to
burnt fossil
fuels or smog.
The sensor can
be calibrated to
other particle
distributions
upon request.
Where can the
HPM Series be
integrated?
The HPM Series
features a
compact design,
allowing it to
be seamlessly
integrated into
a variety of
applications
such as
traditional HVAC
controls, indoor
air monitors,
air purification
equipment,
automotive cabin
filtration, and
commercial
kitchen
ventilation.
How accurate is
the HPM Series?
Engineered for
excellent
accuracy, the
HPM Series is
able to detect
particulate
densities to
within ±15%
accuracy
(PM2.5). Some
competitive
devices offer
accuracy of ±30%
or worse.
How fast does
the HPM Series
analyze media
and respond?
Ultra-fast, the
HPM Series
analyzes media
in less than six
seconds. This
speed allows the
HPM Series to
quickly analyze
and provide data
to supporting
equipment,
allowing the
device to
respond to
changing
conditions in
real-time.
Beginning on the
morning of 21
December 2020,
Mt. Kilauea in Hawaii, USA and
Mt. Etna in Sicily, Italy,
two of the
world’s most
active
volcanoes, were
erupting
explosive plumes
of lava and ash
at the same time
in a seeming
geological
coincidence.
This has
resulted in a
large-scale air
quality impact
for thousands of
miles beyond the
eruptions
themselves.
Around 9:30 PM
local time on 20
December 2020,
Mt. Kilauea
began to erupt
and spew ash
into the air for
hundreds of
miles around the
U.S. state of
Hawaii and
caused a
4.4-magnitude
earthquake.
Authorities on
the island urged
residents of the
island to stay
inside to avoid
the toxic impact
of ash blown
from the
eruption into
the surrounding
regions.
In the hours
following the 20
December
eruption, the
air quality
index (AQI) in
communities
like Pahala, Naalehu,
and Ocean View
appeared to rise
gradually
following the
initial
eruption, with
the Kahuku Cross
Fence station on
the Ko’olau
Summit Trail
recording AQI
measurements
well into the
100s (“unhealthy
for sensitive
groups”) by the
middle of the
day.
The air quality
impact of
Kilauea may not
seem immense at
first glance.
But over time,
Kilauea’s
eruptions have
been linked to
dangerously high
levels of PM2.5
– in a 2020
study,
researchers
found that PM2.5
levels rose as
high as 300
μg/m3 (350 AQI)
during a
previous
eruption in
2018, and this
eruption is
expected to have
similar results.
Mt. Etna, on the
other hand, has
already been
erupting for
over a week
(since 14
December 2020)
leading up to
the Kilauea
eruption. But on
the morning of
21 December,
volcanologists
recorded Mt.
Etna as showing
“strong
explosive
activity,” with
huge amounts of
ash and lava
bursting out of
the volcano
during violent
periods called
“paroxysms.”
Volcano smoke
and its
associated
pollutants can
impact human
health as far as
thousands of
miles from its
source.
Common volcanic
smoke pollutants
include:
·
carbon dioxide
·
sulfur dioxide
·
carbon monoxide
·
hydrogen
sulfide
·
carbon
disulfide
·
hydrogen
chloride
·
methane
·
hydrogen
fluoride
·
hydrogen
bromide
·
heavy metals
such as mercury,
lead, and gold
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