Abstract View
Assessing Mitigation Strategies to Reduce Potential Exposures to Indoor Particle Release Events
Kathryn Van Valkinburgh, Ali Mohammadi Nafchi, Nigel Kaye, Ehsan Mousavi, Vincent Blouin, ANDREW METCALF, Clemson University
Abstract Number: 319
Working Group: Indoor Aerosols
Abstract
As a result of the coronavirus outbreak, many educational institutions have faced questions and uncertainties concerning the safety of hosting on-campus, in-person classes. Airborne transmission is a major concern for many infectious pathogens, including the novel coronavirus. Even with sufficient social distancing and surface disinfection measures taken, there is still risk of exposure through airborne transmission. Ventilation is the principle engineering method used to control airborne health hazards. Understanding potential air pollution hazards are a particular concern for highly populated indoor environments, such as workplaces and classrooms. This study discusses the results of ventilation testing in several different classrooms on Clemson University’s main campus. In each classroom, a particle atomizer was used to release aerosol particles into the air, and multiple particulate measuring devices were placed strategically around each classroom to measure the particle concentration over time. We then assessed how quickly the particles were removed by the ventilation systems with varying ventilation conditions, including the addition of both high- and low-cost portable mitigation devices into the classroom.
This talk will discuss the results of ventilation testing of several different classrooms on Clemson University’s main campus. The classrooms represent a variety of sizes, layouts, building ages, and ventilation types. The results indicate that increasing the air changes per hour in classrooms, whether through centralized air supply, decentralized ventilation units, or portable filtration devices, reduces the particle concentration half-lives. Another goal of this study is to apply the results and findings on particle behavior from the particle release tests to further evaluate the potential personal exposure risk associated with various classroom ventilation setups. The assessment indicates that measures which reduce particle concentration half-lives in the room, such as increasing the air flow through a fan coil unit and/or introducing portable filtration devices, also reduce the estimated total dose of viral particles inhaled during a given time period.