Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
Step Three in the Three Step Mask Strategy Webinar Friday,
Feb 5 at 10:AM
CST
Should the Mask Program
be
Pursued
Separately or as
Part of Safe
Bubbles?
Everyone Should
Wear Efficient
Tight Fitting
Masks According
to Allen and
Others
HCA Healthcare
and A Plus
Partner to
Manufacture
Masks in the
U.S.
China Continues to be Major Supplier of Masks To the U.S.
Combining SARS Testing with Droplet Analysis
PM Levels are Four Times Higher Than Guidelines in the Largest Cities
Sacramento
Decision to
Spend $ 6
Million for UV
in Schools is
Challenged
McDonalds
Installs UV in
Multiple
Locations
_______________________________________________________________________________
We need a program to insure
that everyone is
fitted with
tight fitting
efficient masks
as quickly as
possible.
Distinguished
researchers have
developed a
three step plan
which we will be
discussing on
Friday.
On the 28th we covered
the background
for Step 1 of
the Friday
webinar.
Yesterday we
covered Step 2
and
today
Step 3.
The
three steps are
(l) launching an
awareness blitz,
(2) advise on
which masks
should be worn
and (3)
prioritize masks
for the
vulnerable. View
the previous
Alerts at
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/CATER/subscriber/default.htm
The
webinar will
include a
display
and discussion
of the three
steps. We are
encouraging
input from all
the participants
and hope for a
lively
discussion and
debate.
Click here to
register for the
February 5
webinar:
https://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php?option=com_rsform&view=rsform&formId=92
3.
Prioritize masks for the vulnerable
a.
who
Are
the vulnerable
those with
health issues
and lack of
funds or just
health issues?
One argument is
that many middle
and upper income
families will
prefer CATER
masks to
surgical masks
with braces.
There is also
the question of
mask life vs
cost. Masks will
be worn longer
if the cost is
higher. Mask use
should be a
function of
human contact.
People who have
little
contact with
those not in
their daily
lives can wear
masks for fewer
hours per day
and for more
days.
There
are debates
about how
infectious
children are and
at what age they
should start
wearing masks.
This also
relates to mask
sizes and
whether the
individual can
find a mask that
fits.
There
are cases where
people who were
recently
vaccinated
become
infectious. Also
some vaccines
are rated at
only 60%
efficiency. So
we cannot
automatically
eliminate the
vaccinated
populations.
b.
location –
should this
extend to other
countries?
Fareed
Zakaria last
Sunday predicted
that until
everyone in the
world is
vaccinated the
pandemic will
continue. New
variants will
arise in
developing
countries. They
will then travel
back to the
developed
countries and
new infections
will occur. At
best it will be
2024 before herd
immunity can be
achieved through
vaccinations
worldwide.
If
masks are
combined with
vaccinations in
the developing
countries, there
is a good chance
to vanquish
COVID.
c.
how
i.
vouchers
There is an
effort underway
for the U.S.
government to
subsidize mask
use.
One way
used in other
countries is to
distribute
vouchers which
would be used to
obtain a number
of masks.
ii.
direct
distribution
The Trump
Administration
and underwear
manufacturers
were close to an
agreement for
massive free
mask
distribution
until it was
determined that
the masks looked
too much like
underwear let
alone what
efficiency level
would have been
obtained.
If the cost per
day for 300
million
Americans is $
0.50 and the
program extends
for 180 days the
cost would be
$27 billion. If
the program were
just focused on
the most
vulnerable then
the cost would
be considerably
less.
This is a small
amount compared
to the $1.9
trillion package
now being
debated in the
U.S. Congress.
Should the Mask
Program be
Pursued
Separately or as
Part of Safe
Bubbles?
Mandating
effective masks
and making them
available at low
cost is part of
the push in the
push-pull
initiative. The
details such as
which type of
masks will be
supplied,
insuring that
they are worn
properly, and
worn when in
public poses
another set of
challenges.
This is where
the pull part of
the initiative
can be
effective. If
each school,
sports stadium,
fitness center,
restaurant,
church, or
office building
becomes a safe
bubble, there
will be major
incentives to
maximize the
ability of masks
to reduce the
risk. Schools
are desperately
looking for ways
to convince
teachers and
parents that
their classrooms
are safe. Hotels
are already
competing as to
which is the
safest.
Life is about
making choices.
You may choose a
hotel, airline,
or restaurant
which is safer
than others.
This relative
safety or risk
is what is
already being
determined by
many consulting
companies.
So assessing the
relative safety
of a bubble is
much more
straight forward
than a
quantitative
approach where
there are other
variables which
are important
but not relevant
in making the
choice. You may
use quantitative
risk to decide
whether to go to
any school,
restaurant, or
hotel.
But once
the decision is
made that the
quantitative
risk is
acceptable then
the relative
risk becomes the
determining
factor in the
facility choice.
Everyone Should
Wear Efficient
Tight Fitting
Masks According
to Allen and
Others
Joseph Allen, an
associate
professor and
the director of
the Healthy
Buildings
program at the
Harvard T.H.
Chan School of
Public Health,
penned an op-ed for The Washington Post on
Tuesday, laying
out the case for
why “everyone”
should be
wearing an N95
mask at this
point in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Allen isn’t the
only local
public health
expert pushing
for “better
masks” as the
pandemic
continues. His
colleagues at
Harvard Medical
School, Dr.
Abraar Karan and
Dr. Ranu
Dhillon, are
pressing for a
national
initiative that
would distribute
high-filtration
masks, such as
N95s, to every
household in the
United States.
“I’m not alone
in calling for
better masks,
and certainly
not the first,”
Allen wrote.
“But I am
joining the
chorus calling
for them. This
could be the key
to slowing the
pandemic and
limiting spread
from the new
more highly
transmissible
variants until
we all get
vaccinated.”
While a typical
cloth mask is
expected to
capture about
half of the
respiratory
aerosols
released when a
person talks or
just breathes,
high-filtration
masks like N95s
filter 95
percent, Allen
wrote. Two
people wearing
N95s results in
a 99 percent
reduction in
potential
exposure.
“In
the scrambling
for information
and tools in
early days of
the pandemic, it
was acceptable
to just say any
cloth mask will
do because it’s
true,” Allen
wrote. “Any face
covering is
better than
none. But we’ve
learned so much
since then, and
we need to
adjust our
strategy.”
The
professor said
there’s no
reason at this
point in the
pandemic why any
essential worker
— or anyone else
— should be
without better
masks.
Before the
pandemic, N95s
cost about 50
cents and were
easy to
manufacture,
according to
Allen.
“We
could reduce
exposure by 99
percent for what
should be $1 a
mask,” he wrote.
“(Prices are
higher now
because of the
failure to
produce an
adequate
supply.) Throw
in better
ventilation and
some distance
between people,
and you have
hospital-grade
protections.”
According to Dr.
Nahid Bhadelia,
an infectious
disease
physician and
the medical
director of the
Special
Pathogens Unit
at Boston
Medical Center,
not only does
the United
States need a
national effort
to get hi-fi
masks to the
public, but the
government
should also
start with
releasing a
standard for the
masks that are
available.
“It’s
unconscionable
that we have the
largest use of
PPE by American
public in
history and the
quality of these
masks is not
being moderated,
standardized or
regulated,” she
wrote on
Twitter. “It’s
not just about
N95s. Those may
not work in
every situation
but there are
other qualities
to good masks
aside from
filtration
efficiency
including fit
and seal,
ability to
withstand
moisture (from
sweat and
saliva) etc.
These qualities
could be
improved in
consumer masks.”
What is needed
is the
equivalent of Operation Warp Speed, the government initiative
started under
the Trump
administration
aimed at
accelerating
development,
production, and
distribution of
COVID-19
vaccines, for
“high quality
cheap PPE and
improved
ventilation in
public places,”
she said.
“Do
not get me wrong
— a mask is
better than no
mask,” she
wrote. “Wear a
mask. Using
[the] excuse of
no high quality
masks to not
wear a mask is
like refusing a
rescue raft
because you
weren’t given a
boat at the
time.
Here are some relevant tweets on the
subject
Agreed. And also we should start with
releasing a
standard for
masks available
to consumers.
It’s
unconscionable
that we have the
largest use of
PPE by American
public in
history & the
quality of these
masks is not
being moderated,
standardized or
regulated.
Quote Tweet
Ranu Dhillon
@RanuDhillon
·
Jan 26
Instead of
double-masking,
governments in
South Korea &
other countries
got
high-filtration
masks to their
populations We
need a federal
effort to do the
same in the US
twitter.com/AbraarKaran/st…
·
It’s not just about N95s. Those may not work
in every
situation but
there are other
qualities to
good masks aside
from filtration
efficiency
including fit &
seal, ability to
withstand
moisture (from
sweat & saliva)
etc. These
qualities could
be improved in
consumer masks.
·
I don’t think it’s enough to have guidance out
in media or
public health
agency pages for
what public
should pick,
although that’s
helpful. I think
the private
sector would
love guidance on
how to get this
right & welcome
support to make
it low cost to
public.
·
We need equivalent of Operation Warp Speed but
for high quality
cheap PPE &
improved
ventilation in
public places.
Such innovations
would help not
just during this
pandemic but
future threats
from emerging
respiratory
viral threats.
And make these new innovations (cheap,
comfortable,
efficient) free.
Make such high
quality masks
available to
everyone.
Pennies on the
dollar, a
preventing
transmission is
still cheaper &
better for
individual &
public health
than treatment.
HCA Healthcare
and A Plus
Partner to
Manufacture
Masks in the
U.S.
HCA Healthcare
Inc. entered
into a joint
venture business
with Chino,
Calif.-based
healthcare
supplies company
A Plus
International
Inc. to
manufacture
personal
protective
equipment such
as surgical and
procedure masks
in the U.S.
Under the
collaboration,
an Asheville,
N.C.-based
manufacturing
facility is
expected to soon
begin producing
masks according
to safety and
quality
standards set by
the American
Society for
Testing and
Materials.
The increased
demand for
personal
protective
equipment, or
PPE, due to the
pandemic has
"underscored how
dependent we
have been on
supplies from
overseas," said
Jonathan Perlin,
president,
clinical
operations group
and chief
medical officer
of HCA
Healthcare. The
collaboration
focuses on the
domestic
production of
PPE to support
medical staff on
the frontline,
he added.
Initially, both
the companies
will equally
invest in the
new business,
which aims to
cater to the
increasing
global demand of
PPE courtesy of
the COVID-19
pandemic. HCA
noted that in
2020 it spent
more than $196
million on PPE
compared to
2019.
The joint
venture will be
co-managed by A
Plus and
HealthTrust — a
global leader in
purchasing
aggregation and
performance
improvement for
healthcare.
HealthTrust's
unit Resource
Optimization &
Innovation is
the distribution
partner and will
provide PPE to
HealthTrust
member
organizations
throughout the
U.S.
A Plus is a
leading
manufacturer of
disposable
medical and
surgical
supplies. It has
the
following
infrastructure
in place in
China:
China Continues
to be Major
Supplier of
Masks To the
U.S.
In the last few
months U.S.
suppliers have
greatly
increased
production of
masks but they
have a long way
to go if the
vision is to
match Chinese
output.
In September
2020 China
accounted for
more than 85% of
all U.S. imports
in the category
dominated by
N-95
respirators,
disposable and
non-disposable
face masks,
surgical drapes
and surgical
towels, and,
oddly enough,
including U.S.
flags.
The textile
category for
these personal
protection
equipment items
is growing more
rapidly than any
of China’s other
top 15 imports
into the United
States this
year, according
to the latest
Census Bureau
data, which runs
through July.
Those top 15
imports
accounted for
almost 46% of
U.S. imports
from China.
While overall U.S.
imports from
China are
down 14.71%,
which is more
than overall
U.S. imports,
which are off
12.04%,
While dominated
by masks and
other PPE, it is
a broad category
that includes
furniture
movers’ pads,
pillowcases and
wall banners —
as long as they
are made of
textiles — and
U.S. flags.
Through there
are a number of
U.S.
manufacturers of
U.S. flags,
imports from
China in the
first seven
months of the
year accounted
for 98.91% of
the total. The
$4.28 million in
U.S. flags, a
trifling
compared to $1.4
billion in N95
respirators, was
the lowest total
since 2015. The
percentage,
however, has
been consistent
for years.
Though the
category is
broad, it does
not, of course,
necessarily
capture all
personal
protection
equipment.
Looking more
broadly at the
leading U.S.
imports from
China through
the first seven
months of the
year, 12 of the
15 fell in
value.
In addition to
the textile
category, a
category of
miscellaneous
plastic articles
— which also
includes
products that
could be related
to the pandemic,
such as
pneumatic
mattresses,
plastic
facemasks and
other laboratory
ware — also
increased 13.22%
but accounted
for a record
53.72% of all
U.S. imports.
Combining SARS
Testing with
Droplet Analysis
SGS has the
capability to
combine the
aerosol
ventilation
testing with its
SARS testing.
One use of the
viral RNA test
is to see how
well a surface
has been
cleaned. It
would seem that
an equally
important
function is to
see how
efficient or
inefficient the
filter system is
in actually
reducing virus
spread.
SGS offers
lab-based
testing for the
presence of
SARS-CoV-2, the
virus
responsible for
COVID-19 on
environmental
surfaces and air
samples. Testing
for the presence
of SARS-CoV-2
viral RNA is the
most direct and
definitive test
for ensuring
completeness of
disinfection
procedures. The
COVID-19 virus
analysis is
based on the
Centers for
Disease Control
and Prevention,
adapted and
validated for
environmental
samples in
consideration of
test equipment
and consumables.
Especially in
critical
high-risk
scenarios, and
for targeted
testing of areas
of known
contamination,
appropriately
validated
RT-qPCR methods
can provide the
highest level of
confidence.
WHAT IS RT-QPCR?
RT-qPCR, or
Reverse
Transcription,
quantitative-Polymerase
Chain Reaction
measurement is a
technique used
to measure RNA.
It works by
converting the
RNA into its
complementary
DNA using a
transcriptase
enzyme, and then
amplifying the
DNA using the
polymerase chain
reaction. A
fluorophore (or
fluorescent
chemical
compound) is
added to the
mixture to be
able to read the
fluorescence of
the amplified
cDNA. In the
Covid-19 RT-qPCR
test, the
specific primers
and probes used
ensure that only
RNA from the
Covid-19 virus
is detected.
WHAT
DOES THE RT-QPCR
TEST REPORT? The
test reports the
presence/absence
of RNA
characteristic
of the SARS-COV2
virus that
causes COVID-19.
The test is
based on CDC
RT-qPCR panel(1)
and measures the
same gene
targets as the
clinical tests
used for
Covid-19 testing
in humans. As
this RT-qPCR
assay tests for
the presence of
RNA fragments
that are unique
to the Covid-19
virus, and no
other virus, it
is the most
direct, specific
and sensitive
test for the
presence of
Covid-19 RNA on
a surface.
WHY USE RT-QPCR?
While
coronaviruses
are easily
destroyed by the
application of
soap and
multiple other
cleaning and
disinfection
agents, their
presence on a
surface is the
most definitive
measure of
incomplete
cleaning. For
critical areas,
RT-qPCR testing
provides the
greatest
confidence on
the efficacy of
a cleaning and
disinfection
protocol.
WHAT MATRICES
ARE THE TEST
OFFERED IN? The
RT-qPCR test for
the SARS-CoV-2
virus is
currently
offered in: •
Surface swabs,
typically 5 cm x
5 cm surface
wiped per swab •
Air samples from
endotoxin-free
polycarbonate
cassettes and
PTFE cassettes.
The
polycarbonate
cassettes can be
sampled at up to
15L/ min, at
least 2 hrs is
recommended. The
PTFE cassettes,
SKC PTFE Filter,
0.3 µm, 37 mm.
For example
require a lower
flow rate and
longer sampling
time (~
2-4L/min, and 10
hr sampling time
PM Levels are
Four Times
Higher Than
Guidelines in
the Largest
Cities
The average
level of
particulate
matter (PM2.5)
pollution in the
largest cities
in the world is
39 ug/m3, nearly
four times
higher than the
World Health
Organization
guideline of 10
ug/m3, according
to analysis
conducted by NGO
OpenAQ.
According to the
research, the
worst affected
cities in the
world are all in
Asia, with
Pakistan, India
and China all
having the
highest measured
levels.
OpenAQ has
highlighted that
this data
illustrates the
stark global
inequalities
when it comes to
air pollution,
with over half
of the world’s
population
having no access
to official
government data
on air quality.
In order to
address the
problem, a
coalition of
NGOs have come
together to
create a new
open-source data
platform that
uses low-cost
air pollution
sensors to
provide the
general public
with access to
air quality data
from across the
world.
The platform
brings together
low-cost sensor
air quality data
from the
Environmental
Defense Fund
(EDF), as well
as from Purple
Air, HabitatMap
and Carnegie
Mellon
University.
While prices of
the sensors con
vary, the
sensors can be
installed by
individual
users,
communities or
governments to
increase
coverage and
access to air
quality data.
Millie Chu
Baird, associate
vice president
at Environmental
Defense Fund,
added: ‘One of
the keys to
fighting air
pollution
inequity is data
transparency –
ensuring that as
wide a range of
people as
possible have
access to as
much of it as
possible. It’s
foundational to
the ability to
take acti0n.
Sacramento
Decision to
Spend $ 6
Million for UV
in Schools is
Challenged
In the race to reopen schools, districts across
California and
the country are
beefing up
safety measures
to limit the
spread of the
coronavirus —
more masks, more
sanitizers, new
plastic
barriers.
As part of the effort, Sacramento City Unified
School
District purchased
more than $6
million worth of
classroom air
cleaners and
replacement
parts in
November, at a
cost of $688 per
device.
But several experts have identified potential
concerns about
the devices,
saying the air
cleaners that
Sacramento City
schools
purchased are
overpriced,
inefficient and
have unnecessary
and unproven
technology.
Sac City Unified
purchased 6,000
V-PAC SC air
cleaners,
manufactured by
Ultraviolet
Devices, Inc.,
from Johnson
Controls. The
units, to be
deployed in
every classroom
and common
space, have “the
best technology
for mitigating
COVID-19 at a
fraction of the
cost of other
compatible
portable
filtration
devices, such as
HEPA filtration
devices,” a
November school
board report
stated.
“The COVID-19
virus is
destroyed using
an Ultraviolet-C
light instead of
trapping the
virus in a
filter,” the
district report
stated.
Industry groups
have reported
that such claims
about UV-C light
technology are
not backed up
with sufficient
scientific
research.
Several studies
and researchers
also identified
concerns about a
piece of the
device that
could
potentially
create harmful
chemicals such
as formaldehyde, a
known human
carcinogen. “There are
many
conventional
portable HEPA
filters that
provide more
than twice the
clean air
delivery than
the UVDI device
and the power
consumption is
just 100 watts …
and for a
fraction of the
cost,” Bud
Offermann,
president of
Indoor
Environmental
Engineering,
said in an
email. Experts said
portable air
cleaners with
HEPA —
high-efficiency
particulate air
— filters are
effective at
capturing
particles the
size of the
virus that
causes COVID-19
and would have
been far more
cost-effective. “There are
two things I’m
worried about.
One is using
money wisely to
best support
school
reopening,” said
Theresa
Pistochini, the
engineering
manager at the
UC Davis Energy
Efficiency
Institute and
Western Cooling
Efficiency
Center. “The
other is
creating a false
sense of
security.” State and
local health
authorities have
not required
upgrades to
school air
filtration
systems as a
requirement of
reopening. But
the district is
“committed to
going above and
beyond the
recommendations
by federal,
state, and
county health
officials to
protect the
safety of our
students, staff,
and community,”
district
spokeswoman Tara
Gallegos said in
a statement. Sac City
Unified
personnel spent
six months
reaching out to
vendors and
reviewing their
products and
ability to
address the
virus, Gallegos
said in an
email. The
Sacramento City
Unified School
District board
approved the
purchase in
November. The district
had to weigh
several factors,
she said: It
needed to
purchase devices
with CARES Act
funding before
the end-of-year
deadline.
Officials also
considered,
among other
things, whether
devices
were certified
by the
California Air
Resources Board,
how many amps
they pulled and
how soon they
could be
purchased. “The longer
COVID continues,
the more
companies are
able to meet
these
requirements,”
Gallegos said in
an email. “UVDI
was the only
company at the
time that met
all of these
requirements.” The district
spent $497,500
in CARES Act
money last year
to hire PBK
Architects, a
firm that will
inspect all
classrooms and
schools before
bringing
students back
“to assure that
our students and
staff are in a
space that is
sufficient to
mitigate the
spread of
COVID-19,” she
added. Because
infection rates
in Sacramento
County remain
high, public
health and
school officials
have no clear
timeline for
when Sacramento
City schools may
reopen for
modified
in-person
learning.
But when they
do, the district
will enforce a
variety of other
methods for
reducing the
spread:
Students’
temperatures
will be
measured.
Plastic barriers
will be put up
in offices and
libraries. Desks
will be spread
further apart.
Disposable masks
and hand
sanitizer will
be abundant.
Many teachers
and staff will
have likely
already gotten
the vaccine, and
rapid COVID-19
tests will be
available
on-site. When
weather permits,
doors and
windows will be
opened to let in
fresh outside
air.
UVDI declined to
comment on its
devices. In an
email, spokesman
Will Gerard said
the company
deferred to
Johnson
Controls.
In a statement,
Johnson Controls
stated that the
air cleaners
“met a demanding
set of
requirements to
provide an
effective
solution
delivering
improved air
quality to the
Sacramento City
Unified School
District with
minimal
infrastructure
change, while
meeting time
requirements.”
Common portable
air cleaners,
also known as
air purifiers,
used in homes
and offices are
often mechanical
— meaning, the
device pumps air
through a
physical filter
to catch
particles,
viruses,
bacteria and
other
contaminants.
HEPA filters by
definition are
excellent at
removing fine
particles in the
air and are
widely available
on the market. Portable air
cleaners alone
are not enough
to protect
people from
COVID-19. Though
they can reduce
airborne
contaminants,
including
viruses
that linger in
the air indoors
and spread
farther than six
feet, there
isn’t direct
evidence yet
that air
cleaners stop
transmission
from close
contact
like masks and
social
distancing have
been shown to
do. The Centers
for Disease
Control and
Prevention has
recommended
opening windows
and doors when
weather permits
to allow for
outside air
ventilation and
suggests
building
operators
“consider
portable
high-efficiency
particulate air
(HEPA)
fan/filtration
systems to help
enhance air
cleaning.” Test data has
not been made
available by
UVDI or Johnson
Controls
regarding the
V-PAC SC air
cleaner. The industry
standard for
judging how
effectively a
portable
household air
purifier cleans
the air is its
clean air
delivery rate.
The CADR is
measured using
the Association
of Home
Appliance
Manufacturers
AC-1 test, also
known as an AHAM
AC-1 test. The test
reveals how
efficiently a
device is
producing clean
air for a room.
For instance, a
device could
have a
high-quality
filter, but if
it doesn’t
actually push
much air through
the filter, it
might not be an
effective air
cleaner The district
would need to
use at least
eight devices
per 1,000 square
foot classroom
to effectively
clean the air.
Given how
inefficiently it
cleans the air,
the devices are
“10 times more
expensive than
something you
could buy on
Amazon,”
Offermann said. The Bee had
requested a copy
of the device’s
AHAM AC-1 report
from the school
district. The
district
initially
declined,
stating it
didn’t exist for
the air cleaner
because it is a
“commercial”
device. After
presenting a
copy of the
obtained report,
both the
district and
Johnson Controls
confirmed that
the report and
its findings are
accurate. Though not
stated on the
device’s
technical
specifications,
Gallegos said
that the devices
use a HEPA-level
filter. Even if
that’s the case,
“there’s hardly
any air going
through it,”
Offermann said. “If the unit
performance does
not meet our
district’s
needs, we will
explore other
options,”
Gallegos said in
an email. Unlike more
common household
air cleaners
with just a
mechanical
filter, the
V-PAC SC devices
have
ultraviolet-C
light and
photocatalytic
oxidation
reactor. While
UV-C light can
effectively kill
bacteria and
viruses, it’s
most effective
for sanitizing
objects,
surfaces or
spaces over an
extended period
of time. UV-C
light may be
able to
inactivate the
virus that
causes COVID-19,
according to the
U.S. Food and
Drug
Administration,
but there is
currently
limited
research. There is not
enough scientific
data to prove
how effective it
is for reducing
viruses passed
through an air
cleaner device,
Offermann said. “The concern
I have is that
the UV-C device
packaged inside
an air filter is
unlikely to have
a significant
impact, because
the air is
moving quickly
and is in
contact with
UV-C for a short
period of time,”
Pistochini said. The V-PAC SC
air cleaners
were certified by
the California
Air Resources
Board in April,
which requires
testing for
electrical
safety and ozone
emissions. CARB
certification
does not assess
how effective an
air cleaner is,
according to
spokeswoman
Melanie Turner. “There is not
enough
information to
assess (UV-C
technology’s)
effectiveness
for virus
reduction when
it is contained
within an air
cleaner device,”
Turner said in a
statement. “The
addition of UV-C
does not add any
functionality
for particle
removal.” In an email
response,
Johnson Controls
spokesman
Charles Bickers
said it would be
more accurate to
say, “that the
UV-C filtering
is in addition
to the
filtering.” The devices
also have a
photocatalytic
oxidation, or
PCO, grid, which
is activated by
the UV-C light
and is intended
to breakdown
pollutants
through an
oxidizing
process. But studies
have also
raised concerns
about PCO
technology. “There is
also the
potential for an
incomplete
oxidizing
process, which
produces
by-products of
reaction that
can be more
toxic or harmful
than the
original
constituents
(e.g.,
formaldehyde),” according
to the American
Society of
Heating,
Refrigerating
and
Air-Conditioning
Engineers. Shelly
Miller, a
mechanical
engineering
professor at the
University of
Colorado
Boulder, said
the manufacturer
would need to
release testing
data on the
device to rule
out the
formation of
harmful
chemicals.
In general,
Miller said she
doesn’t
recommend school
districts on a
limited budget
purchase air
cleaners with
“bells and
whistles” since
it will cost
significantly
more than
straightforward
HEPA filters
that produce
clean air
efficiently.
She emphasized
it is better to
buy more air
cleaners and
better masks,
rather than
invest in air
cleaners with
untested
add-ons.
In a statement,
Johnson Controls
said that “the
airstream
purification and
disinfection
solution provide
a combination of
technologies to
enable improved
air quality and
will be
complemented by
other mitigation
procedures (mask
wearing, washing
hands, etc.) in
place to address
the risk of
COVID-19
infection.”
HEPA air
cleaners and
filter
replacements for
large rooms can
easily be
purchased online
for a couple
of hundred
dollars on sites
like Amazon and
be plugged into
normal home wall
sockets without
issue. The district
“did not
entertain the
idea” of
purchasing
cleaners
marketed for
residential use,
since the
district is made
up of commercial
buildings and
those units
“would not stand
the test of time
in the long run”
operating 24/7,
Gallegos said. Residential
units
are designed to
be run
constantly,
however. Both
Pistochini and
Offermann said
there’s nothing
that makes the
V-PAC SC devices
“commercial,”
such as having a
higher CADR or
stainless steel
covering. The
presence of an
industry-standard
AHAM AC-1 report
for the device —
a test conducted
on portable
household air
cleaners —
suggests it is
not a commercial
device. The district
stated that the
commercial HEPA
air cleaners it
considered
purchasing would
have required
significant and
costly
electrical
upgrades to
school sites to
power, or they
otherwise
overload most
circuits. The
manufacturer
states the V-PAC
SC air cleaners
draw .89 amps
and don’t
require any
electrical
upgrades,
according to
Gallegos. The
district
considered the
Carrier
OptiClean, a
mechanical HEPA
air cleaner, but
the units cost
about $2,000
each and draw 5
amps. “We’ve
continued to
express and
demonstrate that
we are willing
to go above and
beyond,”
Gallegos said in
an email. “These
are not empty
words, but the
reality of the
extensive work
of our district
to protect our
staff, students,
and community.”
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article248431190.html
McDonalds
Installs UV in
Multiple
Locations
McDonald's
franchises in
three of the
nation's largest
cities —
Chicago, Dallas
and Houston —
are using
ultraviolet
light technology
to neutralize
pathogens on
restaurant
surfaces and in
the air.
Franchise owners
have partnered
with Grand
Haven,
Michigan-based,
UV Angel to take
the added health
and safety
measure,
according to
Paul Byrne, UV
Angel vice
president of
product. In
total, the
company told
QSRweb it has
installed 345
units of two
varieties in the
stores in Texas
and Illinois.
Under the
partnership, the
McDonald's
locations have
been equipped
with proprietary
ultraviolet
light surface
and air
technology,
allowing the
fast food
restaurants to
neutralize
bacteria,
viruses and
fungi around the
clock. UV Angel
specified that
this tech is
room-level,
which it said
acts on
pathogens at
their sources,
where and when
they are spread.
The systems that
use technology
like HEPA
filter, as well
as UV-C HVAC
units are
building-level
source controls.
"While we have
already taken
significant
steps to help
ensure the
safety of our
employees and
customers, we
believe the
addition of UV
Angel technology
is a true
game-changer,"
Matt Kades, a
Houston-area
McDonald's
owner-operator,
said in the
release. "We
want the air
inside our
locations to be
as safe as the
air outside, and
we are proud to
be one of the
first
restaurants in
the world to add
this technology
to our infection
control
arsenal."
The censors are
mounted at the
ceiling level
and continuously
draw room air
into a sealed
chamber, where
it is treated
with UV-C light
to destroy
airborne
pathogens. This
engineering
control system
operates
independent of
the HVAC system
for automated
round-the-clock
source-level
environmental
air treatment,
based on systems
the company has
previously
provided in
hospitals to
control the
often deadly
hospital-acquired
infections.
"As has been
published in
many studies,
people are the
main source of
contamination
and disease
transmission,"
Tom Byrne, UV
Angel CEO, said
in the release.
"The recent
pandemic
highlights the
need to add
controls right
at the room
level and source
of potential
contamination.
"While our
company started
in health care,
the COVID-19
pandemic has
accelerated the
use of our
technologies in
many different
industries
looking to
create
measurably safer
indoor
environments for
staff,
customers, and
families."
Paul Byrne said
the company
works closely
with partners,
including
McDonald's to
make the added
safety
initiatives
known to
customers
through in-store
materials,
social media
advertising and
both local and
national
marketing
efforts.
"Some partners
are displaying
in-store or
in-restaurant
signage to
showcase the
effectiveness of
UV Angel
products, using
the findings
from independent
studies on our
UV-C technology.
"We are seeing
significant
national demand
for UV Angel's
technology
across a wide
variety of
sectors,
hospital
systems,
schools,
restaurants,
dentist offices
and more.”
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