Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
Building Owners
Advised to
Upgrade to MERV
13 Filters
Daikin
Forecasted 2020
Results Down
from Previous
Year
Extending the
Life of Surgical
and N95 Masks
Anti-microbials
can Eliminate
Cleaning and
Damage to Masks
Nexera Guardian
FFP 2 Mask Lasts
Fourteen Days
and Costs $10
Dollars
The Pandemic
Could be Over in
Weeks with High
Efficiency Masks
_________________________________________________________________________
Building Owners
Advised to
Upgrade to MERV
13 Filters
The U.S. Centers
for Disease
Control and
Prevention has
now put out its ventilation
recommendations to
combat Covid-19,
based on
standards set
by ASHRAE,
or the American
Society of
Heating,
Refrigerating
and
Air-Conditioning
Engineers.
Experts like
Newell say the
investment is
worth it. It
will be the key
to a safe and
healthy return
to offices and
schools, even
with the rollout
of Covid
vaccines, he
says. New
disease
outbreaks are
expected to crop
up in the
future,
and “apart from
the pandemic,
having an
improved filter
also gets other
particulates out
of the air that
impact your
health — these
very fine
particulates
that easily go
way down into
your lung,” he
says. “Only good
things happen
when you bring
in more fresh
air,” including
a potential
increase in
productivity and
academic
performance.
Improving
ventilation
typically
involves some
combination of
letting in
more fresh
air, upgrading
air filtration
systems, and
installing
technologies like
UV light to kill
those
pathogens.
The human nose
may be able to
smell the
stagnant air of
a very poorly
ventilated room,
but patrons or
employees may
not always know
if a building is
well-ventilated
enough to
affect tiny
particles like
the coronavirus.
For a typical
office building,
current ASHRAE
standards
recommend 20
cubic feet of
outdoor air per
minute (cfm) per
person, and
experts like
Sasse recommend
that a room’s
air should be
replaced three
to five times
per hour. But
the proper
ventilation and
air change rates
vary depending
on building
size, occupancy,
and use.
Newell says that
the CDC’s
guidelines
largely track
with
recommendations
from his own
firm, Building
Equinox. But he
says they’re not
specific enough
about the right
levels of air
flow for these
variable
building types
and uses. “How
can a patron,
employee,
teacher, or
worshipper know
if proper
ventilation is
occurring?”
Newell says.
One of the best
ways to know is
to measure the
concentration of
CO2 in each room
or part of a
building, he
says, because it
shows the amount
of exhaled air
that has built
up in the room
without enough
fresh air to
flush it out.
CO2 levels
should register
no more than 800
parts per
million. “If you
see [a place
with] levels
much above 800
ppm, don't spend
much time in
there,” Newell advises. But
that measurement
requires
specific
technology. Ideally,
Newell would
like everyone to
carry a CO2
meter in their
pockets, but
those
instruments can cost
upwards of $100.
Another option
is to ask the
manager of a
building
you enter
regularly if
they’re
meeting standards
set by ASHRAE,
what kinds of
filters are in
use, or if
they’ve made any
HVAC
upgrades recently. If
you have to be
in a small,
airtight space,
look for and
stay near open
windows. But
it’s important
to acknowledge
that while
ventilation
helps mitigate
your chances of
contracting
Covid-19, the
risk is rarely
zero.
For building
managers
implementing
these upgrades, Sasse also
advises clients
to switch
to higher-rated
filters. Many
HVAC systems in
commercial and
residential
buildings use
filters
with MERV 8
ratings (for
minimum
efficiency
reporting
value), but the
CDC recommends
using MERV 13
filters, which
can remove up
to 90% of air
particles, or a
HEPA filter (for
high efficiency
particulate air)
— what’s
typically used
by medical
facilities. “A
true HEPA filter
is MERV 16, but
not all systems
can handle
bigger filters
because of the
pressure they
require,” Sasse
says.
More energy will
be needed
to heat and cool
the additional
amount
of incoming air
and to push
existing air
through denser
filters. In some
cases, HVAC
systems may be
too old to
accommodate
CDC-recommended
changes, which
would then
require them to
be
replaced completely.
“We're
sacrificing
energy
efficiency for
health,” Sasse
says. But Steve
Nadel, executive
director of the
American Council
for an
Energy-Efficient
Economy, isn’t
too concerned
about new
ventilation
systems undoing
progress on
building
efficiency — as
long as building
managers follow
CDC guidelines
and don’t pull
in more fresh
air than what’s
really
necessary.
One thing that
would make it
easier to ensure
the quality of
building safety
is to improve
building
standards across
the
board. Newell
has been calling
for ventilation
standards to be
updated to
prepare for
potential future
pandemics,
starting with
doubling the
minimum
requirement of
20 cfm per
person to 40 cfm
per person —
which
corresponds with
a safer CO2
reading.
The payoff would
be immediate, he
says,
pointing to a 2000
study from
Harvard
University
looking at how
air quality
affected the use
of sick leave
among more than
3,000 employees
across 40
buildings. The
researchers
found that
office workers
in moderately
ventilated
sections were
53% percent more
likely than
those in highly
ventilated areas
to take time off
due to illness.
Preventing those
absences could
save companies
$480 per worker
each year,
according to the
study, and as
much as $22.8
billion
nationally.
Studies have
shown better air
also boosts
students’
performance. In
fact, the $900
million Covid-19
stimulus bill
signed into law
last
month included a $54.3
billion fund to
help upgrade
HVAC systems in
K-12 schools,
many of which harbor
unhealthy
learning
environments.
Plus, “when you
think about
the expenses
that might be
required to
improve
ventilation
everywhere,
we're talking
about jobs,”
Newell adds.
“All of that
money goes to
paying someone
to drill holes,
to put in sheet
metal and to add
filter systems,
so it's very
productive
spending.”
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-11/how-to-know-if-a-building-has-good-ventilation
The National
Football
League's Miami
Dolphins are
battling COVID
in
the
locker room,
where about 40
Healthe ceiling
troffers, such
as the one in
the middle
foreground of
the ceiling in
this photo, are
equipped with a
filtration
system and
Crystal IS UV-C
LEDs to attack
the SARS-CoV-2
virus.
Healthe has
installed about
forty 2×2-ft
fixtures into
dropped ceilings
inside the
locker room and
other facilities
for the Miami
Dolphins
football team in
Miami Gardens,
FL.
Each “Healthe
Air” troffer has
a long, narrow
visible light
strip of LEDs
running down its
middle, pointing
down for
illumination. To
either side are
rectangular
meshes that form
an air system.
The intake side
houses a HEPA
cleaning system,
with fans
designed to draw
in air for
purification by
the UV-C LEDs.
It also has a
charcoal filter
to eliminate
odors. Clean air
exits via the
outlet side.
A dozen Crystal
IS UV-C LEDs
drawing 60 mW of
power each and
emitting at 265
nm sit enclosed
inside the HEPA
system, Crystal
IS CEO Larry
Felton told LEDs
Magazine.
UV-C is
invisible
radiation
associated with
the light
spectrum. It is
part of the
ultraviolet
bandwidth. At
between 100 and
280 nm, it is
shorter than “A”
and “B” band
UV. UV-C
has been proven
to deactivate
SARS-CoV-2 in
different
light-source
forms — of
recent note, mainly
as mercury-vapor
lamps.
The enclosed
design serves at
least two
purposes. It
points the UV-C
LEDs directly at
the circulating
air. It also
acts as a shield
preventing the
UV-C from
contacting
people in the
room. UV-C is
hazardous to
skin and eyes.
Crystal IS,
based in Green
Island, NY near
Albany and owned
by Japanese
conglomerate
Asahi Kasei, has
a stable of
germicidal UV-C
LEDs branded
Klaran and
targeting
pathogens
including
viruses,
bacteria, and
endospores for
use in treating
water, air, and
surfaces. The
company has been
expanding into
coronavirus
deactivation
amid the
pandemic,
building devices
not just for
fans and
luminaires but
also for UV-C
chambers such as
one made by
Nashville,
TN-based
Cleanbox.
It develops UV-C
LEDs that emit
radiation
between 260 to
270 nm, which
Felton pointed
out is more
effective
against
SARS-CoV-2 than
the 275–280-nm
spectrum that
some other UV-C
LED
manufacturers
use. (Osram Opto
Semiconductors
this week
introduced a
UV-C packaged
LED at 275 nm).
Crystal IS uses
an aluminum
nitride (AIN)
substrate rather
than a sapphire
substrate. It is
the AIN approach
that enables
Crystal to tap
the 260–270-nm
range, Felton
said.
The Miami
Dolphins
installation
marks another
case of a major
league sports
team deploying
UV-C to combat
the coronavirus
in its
facilities. In
Europe, Signify
has outfitted
soccer clubs PSV
Eindhoven in
Holland and RB
Leipzig in
Germany. Signify
also recently
outfitted an
Edeka
supermarket
outlet in
Hamburg,
Germany, with
UV-C
disinfection
capability.
Signify's push
into UV-C does
not use LED
technology.
Rather, it is
based on
conventional
mercury-vapor
technology. Signify
CEO Eric
Rondolat has
been dismissing
UV-C LED for the
time being,
explaining to LEDs more
than once this
year that in
their current
state UV-C
systems would
require many
more LED light
sources than
would be
practical on
both a cost and
energy
consumption
basis.
Daikin benefits
from sales of
air filters by
its AAF Flanders
subsidiary.
However its air
conditioning
products are the
bulk of the
sales and
earnings totals.
.
Businesses that
have a global
presence and
hold market
leader positions
in their
segments present
a good
investment
avenue, as their
sheer size and
reach offset
some of the
market-linked
risks being
faced by firms
globally. Daikin
Industries Ltd.
easily fits in
that
description; as
one of the
world's leading
manufacturer of
air conditioning
and cooling
solutions, with a
presence in over
150
countries and
100 global
production bases
and a revenue
base of over JPY
2.3 trillion,
DKILY is a
globally
diversified
behemoth. The
company's stock
would have been
an easy 'Buy'
had it not
galloped the way
it did in 2020,
seemingly
oblivious to the
economic
slowdown and its
impact on
DKILY's
financial
performance. The
stock has forged
a path of its
own, reaching
new highs in
December 2020,
leaving very
little scope for
investors
looking for an
upside.
DKILY's
business has
not been immune
to the headwinds
of COVID-19,
and the
company's
revenue has
declined 9% and
operating profit
slid down by 22%
in the six
months ended
September 2020,
as demand,
particularly on
the industrial
side, remains
stunted,
following the
pandemic driven
hit on economic
growth. It is
not
unanticipated;
the fixed cost
heavy nature of
manufacturing
businesses is
expected to lead
to pressure on
operating margin
in times of
revenue stress,
as was seen in
the year ended
March 2020.
Despite the
company's cost
rationalization
plans, margin
will likely
remain under the
pump in the near
future.
But DKILY's
margin pressure
started even
before the
pandemic came
into play. While
COVID-19 is a
certain dampener
on the
business, DKILY's
financial
performance was
already seeing
negative
headwinds on
demand, with
revenue growth
moderating to 3%
in FYE Mar20,
following two
years of sharp
revenue
increase.
Operating margin
declined across
business
segments in the
last FY,
indicating the
pressures on
profitability.
But while the
long term seems
secure for
DKILY, its near
term will likely
remain impacted
by the economic
slowdown and the
resultant slump
in demand on its
non-residential
business. The
current FY has
seen factory
shutdowns, which
has also led to
loss of revenue
and market share
for the company.
The loss of
revenue has led
to margin
erosion of about
170bps in the
current YTD
period, as
compared to the
same period of
the last FY.
Despite the
cost-saving
efforts being
undertaken, the
current year
margin is
expected to
remain at 10-11%
levels, and the
management
guidance leads
to expectations
that it will
remain around
similar levels,
as profitability
is expected to
return to pre-COVID
levels only in
2022.
There is no
doubt that DKILY
will be able to
ride this tide
out. The
company's
balance sheet is
strong,
there is limited
debt on it
currently,
indicated by the
D/E of ~0.4
(including
leases, as of
March 2020). The
company's
ability to
expand capacity
to push out
products that
see demand
surges is high,
supported both
by the financial
flexibility
accorded by the
low leverage and
its business
flexibility
supported by its
global presence
- like its plan
to augment the
supply capacity
of air
purifiers, which
the management
expects will
have a demand of
a million units
in the next FY.
This ability to
expand or modify
production scale
to suit demand
trends is a
sustainable
strength that
will ensure
DKILY remains
the leading
player in the
categories it
operates in.
There is also
the inorganic
route that could
offset some of
the revenue-side
challenges that
DKILY is facing.
In November
2020, the
company
acquired Stevens
Equipment Supply,
a Minnesota
based
distributor of
electric
equipment and
accessories,
operating in
twelve states in
the US.
Acquisitions
like this will
enhance the
distribution
depth of DKILY,
which could ease
some of the
pressure on
maintaining
demand and
achieving
revenue growth.
The masks used
by the public as
compared to
medical workers
differ in a
number of ways.
The risk in
medical settings
is greater
because of
·
higher viral
loads (number of
individuals
with
COVID)
·
vulnerable
populations (
e.g. cancer
patients)
For the medical
worker dealing
with COVID cases
the chance of
being in the
vicinity of a
COVID emitter is
nearly 100%. In
the worst case
public scenario
one out of every
hundred
individuals is a
transmitter and
typically it is
only 1 in 1000.
Protection is
all about
reducing the
odds. If
a person
because of
occupation is
1000 times more
likely to need
the protection
than another he
should not
consider
compromising
mask efficiency
by extended
wear.
A person in a
poor country
whose
alternative is a
cloth mask which
has an
FFE of 10% would
be better off
with a mask
which is
initially very
efficient but
over time
deteriorates. It
is still a
better choice
until it reaches
an FEE of 10%.
Deterioration
can involve fit
and filter media
efficiency.
Another factor
is transmission
of virus from
the mask
surface. Masks
with
anti-microbial
media do not
have to be
cleaned as
frequently.
This may
greatly extend
the life.
Nexera
recommends its
FFP 2 mask for
use of up to 14
days.
It costs
approximately
$10. So the cost
per day of use
is 71 cents.
The mask is
rated FFP 2 with
6% penetration
and less than 8%
inward leakage.
So the FFE
rating would be
86%. $30 CATER
masks have been
tested at an FFE
of 90%. The
recommended life
of these masks
is up to 90
days. A
$2
upgraded
surgical mask
with a brace
might have an
FFE above 85%.
The brace has
potentially 1
year of life.
The surgical
mask might have
a life of weeks.
Various mask
types are likely
to deteriorate
at different
rates.
For rough
comparison
purposes we used
a high
deterioration
rate (A) and a
slower one (B).
A brace could
cost $15 or
could be a DIY
version.
With 4
per year x $2
plus 15 for the
brace the total
is $22 per year.
For a country
such as India
this would be a
$22 billion/yr
expense.
The wealthiest
citizens will
want CATER masks
and purchase at
least four per
year at $30
each.
A middle
class group
could spend
$50/yr each
while 3.2
billion people
would average
only $25 each.
This results in
2021 market of
$296 billion.
This investment
would insure the
end of the
pandemic and
would be a small
price to pay
considering the
lives saved and
economic
benefits.
Anti-microbials
in high risk
settings can be
justified just
on the risk
reduction
associated with
viruses
transmitted from
the mask
surface. In low
risk settings
these anti
microbials can
be justified
based on reduced
mask cleaning
and resultant
deterioration.
Asten Johnson
provides Foss
media. Sciessent
provides
antimicrobials
to be used with
the media.
Nexera
and
Haynes
are supplying
masks using the
media
Thorough testing
has shown the
silver-copper
antimicrobial
compounds to be
nontoxic and
effective,
making the
agents perfectly
suited for
antimicrobial
respirator
masks. These
same
antimicrobial
agents are
National Science
Foundation (NSF)
and U.S. Federal
Drug
Administration
(FDA) listed and
U.S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency (EPA)
registered. They
are also listed
with the
Cosmetic,
Toiletry, and
Fragrance
Association as a
cosmetic
preservative and
have the
standard
approval in
Europe under the
Biocidal
Products
Directive.
The cornerstone
of the
technology is
silver (Ag), a
naturally
occurring, safe,
and effective
antimicrobial
agent in its
ionic form. The
delivery system
is a zeolite
carrier that
allows a
controlled and
effective
release of the
silver ions, on
demand, thus
killing and
inhibiting the
growth of
bacteria,
viruses, mold,
and fungus over
long periods of
time. This
stable ion
exchange process
is non-reactive
and allows the
compound to be
used in
virtually every
imaginable
manufacturing
process.
Sciessent says
that unlike the
premeditated
work with Nexera
to develop a
mask following
the SARS
outbreak nearly
two decades
ago, work with
Hanesbrands
required that
the team
leverage
existing
knowledge and
experience to
quickly fill-in
various
information
gaps. Instead of
developing a
product from the
ground up,
Hanesbrands was
repurposing its
knitted cotton
fabrics treated
with Agion
Antimicrobial to
develop its
masks.
With the next
generation
microbe-fighting
technology, the
SpectraShield™
GUARDIAN is the
first ever
REUSABLE
antimicrobial
protected FFP2
respirator mask.
It is creatively
engineered to be
reused for up to
14 days. Its
patented, safe,
natural, and
effective
Fosshield®
antimicrobial
technology
penetrates the
microbe’s cell
wall, attacks
its metabolism
and disrupts
reproduction.
Approved under
E.U.
classification
EN149:2001 +
A1:2009 Features
and Benefits:
• Regulatory: EU
FFP2 and
Reusability
certified •
Superior
Performance: –
Proven highly
effective
against the
following
viruses: -
Influenza A
(Swine Flu or
H1N1) - Avian
Flu (H5N1) -
Rhinovirus -
Adenovirus -
Coronavirus –
Begins microbe
prevention
immediately and
eliminates
99.99% of the
following tested
bacteria after
one hour of
contact with the
surface of the
respirator: -
Methycillin
Resistant
Staphylococcus
Aureus (MRSA) -
Streptococcus
Pyogenese -
Haemophilus
Influenzae -
Legionella
Pnuemophila
• Protection: –
Shields from
blood, other
bodily fluids,
and a wide
spectrum of
airborne
respiratory
threats – Meets
CDC and WHO
guidelines for
tuberculosis and
other infectious
disease exposure
control –
Filters out
viruses, fungi,
bacteria, pollen
and other
airborne
irritants;
including
non-oil
containing
fumes, mists and
dust –
Hypoallergenic
•
Design: –
Reusable wear
for up to 14
days – Unique
construction
naturally
contours to
facial features
for a guaranteed
proper fit – PVC
and latex-free –
Uses same safe
and effective
Fosshield®
antimicrobial
technology
incorporated in
Nexera’s FDA
510(k) cleared
surgical
respirator mask
Devabhaktuni Srikrishna
will be a
presenter in the
webinar on the
2lst where we
will be
discussing
the impact of
more efficient
masks. He has
used the
Wells-Riley
model on
infection risk
to show the
impact of higher
efficiency
masks.
His
findings are
consistent with
what has been
reported in the
Alert. Here is a
summary of his
new paper.
Abstract
Background Recently
the US CDC
acknowledged
that the
COVID-19 crisis
is facilitated
at least in part
by aerosolized
virus exhaled by
symptomatic,
asymptomatic, or
pre-symptomatic
infected
individuals.
Disposable N95
masks remain in
short supply due
to their use in
healthcare
settings during
the Coronavirus
pandemic,
whereas
NIOSH-approved
elastomeric N95
(eN95) masks
remain
immediately
available for
use by essential
workers and the
general public.
New reusable N95
mask options
with symmetric
filtration
efficiency can
be anticipated
to be NIOSH
approved in the
coming months,
today’s eN95
masks have
asymmetric
filtration
efficiency upon
inhalation (95%)
and exhalation
(well under 95%)
but are
available now
during the Fall
and Winter when
Coronavirus
cases are
expected to
peak.
Methods Based
on the
Wells-Riley
model of
infection risk,
we examine how
the rate of
transmission of
the virus from
one infected
person in a
closed,
congested room
with poor
ventilation to
several other
susceptible
individuals is
impacted by the
filtration
efficiency of
the masks they
are wearing.
Three scenarios
are modeled – a
room (6 people,
12’ × 20’ ×
10’), a bar (18
people, 20’ ×
40’ × 10’), and
a classroom (26
people, 20’ ×
30’ × 10’) with
one infectious
individual and
remaining
susceptibles.
By dynamically
estimating the
accumulation of
virus in
aerosols exhaled
by the infected
person in these
congested spaces
for four hours
using a “box
model,” we
compare the
transmission
risk
(probability)
when susceptible
people based on
a realistic
hypothesis of
face mask
protection
during inhaling
and exhaling
e.g. using cloth
masks or N95
respirators.
Results Across
all three
scenarios, cloth
masks modeled
with 30%
symmetric
filtration
efficiency alone
were
insufficient to
stop the spread
(18% to 40%
infection risk),
whereas eN95
masks (modeled
as 95%
filtration
efficiency on
inhalation, 30%
on exhalation)
reduced the
infection risk
to 1.5% to 3.6%.
Symmetric
filtration of
80% reduces the
risk to 1.7% to
4.1% and
symmetric
filtration of
95% would
further reduce
the risk to
0.11% to 0.26%.
Conclusion This
modeling of mask
filtration
efficiency
suggests that
the pandemic
could be readily
controlled
within several
weeks if (in
conjunction with
sensible
hygiene) a
sufficiently
large majority
of people wear
asymmetric but
higher-filtration
masks (e.g.
eN95) that also
block aerosols
whenever exposed
to anyone else
outside their
household in
order to
completely stop
inter-household
spread.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.11.10.20227710v1
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