Raleigh, NC – Despite pleas from health officials to limit indoor gatherings, family and friends gatherings continue to push the state’s daily total with coronavirus to record maximums.
In addition to repeated instructions to wear masks, keep at least 6 feet away from others and wash your hands regularly, an expert says keeping fresh air inside will also help reduce exposure to the virus.
“COVID helped us a lot to make people understand [that]”If something is invisible, it doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous,” said Raleigh-based Qlair executive director Ellie Amirnasr, who specializes in analyzing and improving indoor air quality in businesses and homes.
Business has grown because of the virus, and customers are usually happy to know that many of the solutions are simple and fairly inexpensive, Amirnasr said.
“The best thing at the moment that we recommend to our customers is to improve the filtration system,” she said.
With the market flooded with devices claiming to be fighting the virus, it has warned people against dropping a lot of money on things like bipolar ionization systems. She agrees with a top group of indoor air quality that there is not enough evidence that these systems work.
“The tests were done and show effectiveness in the lab, not in real life,” she said.
Ultraviolet systems are also promoted for coronavirus killing. Although this has been a proven method for years, killing the virus in the air in your home is difficult, Amirnasr said.
“UV was originally used to treat the surface and to treat the air, if you want to do that, you have to slow down the air flow and you have to give it enough time,” she said.
Adding a UV system to the air handling device can’t do the trick, she added: “With a single pass, nothing will happen.”
The top air intake filters for your HVAC system can catch the virus, but if you are determined to buy a device, Amirnasr recommends that you get an air purification system. Although they are sometimes hard to find in stores, she said to make sure you get 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 personal training in the spring.
The company has 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 refresh the air. One of the key methods of detection is the amount of carbon dioxide in the air, which is what people exhale. Once this level increases, there is an increased risk of viral spread if someone in the room is infected.
There has been no evidence that there is a device to stop the virus, and Amirnasr said part of the challenge is getting reliable test results,
“Measuring the virus is almost impossible because it requires air sampling [and] “Laboratory testing,” she said. It’s super difficult. It’s very expensive. “
But, she said, one of the best ways to fight the virus is for free. Simply open the doors and windows on opposite sides of the house, especially if you have guests over.
“This will help clean the air inside the building,” she said. “So you have the old air outside [and] the clean air inside the building. You have fresh air and reduce the chance of any virus sitting around. “
Amirnasr recommended that people recycle residential indoor air two to three times an hour. Businesses should recycle four times an hour, and schools six times an hour just by opening a classroom window, if possible.
Ceiling fans or stand-alone fans can help move air, which helps. But Amirnasr said it was not effective on its own.
“When you actually turn on the ceiling fan,” she said, “if no fresh air enters, just recirculate the air inside the building.
“If you turn on the ceiling fan, you better do it only in combination with opening the window,” she added.