Covid-19 Resources

Better Air Quality offers services related to mitigation of COVID-19 as we are equipped with the proper training, equipment, and insurance to perform these services and have experience in dealing properly with other biological contaminants. Please contact us today for further information on how we can help with your particular location.

ASHRAE Journal, May 2020

Guidance for Building Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The HVAC systems in most non-medical buildings play only a small role in infectious disease transmission, including COVID-19.1  Knowledge is emerging about COVID-19, the virus that causes it (SARS-CoV-2), and how the disease spreads. Reasonable, but not certain, inferences about spread can be drawn from the SARS outbreak in 2003 (a virus genetically similar to SARS-CoV-2) and, to a lesser extent, from transmission of other viruses. Preliminary research has been recently released, due to the urgent need for information, but it is likely to take years to reach scientific consensus….

For the complete article please click here - https://www.ashrae.org/news/ashraejournal/guidance-for-building-operations-during-the-covid-19-pandemic

NADCA White Paper, Using Chemical Products in HVAC Systems

https://nadca.com/sites/default/files/images/2016/nadca_white_paper_on_chemical_applications.pdf

From the EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency)

Air Cleaners, HVAC Filters, and Coronavirus (COVID-19)

When used properly, air cleaners and HVAC filters can help reduce airborne contaminants including viruses in a building or small space. By itself, air cleaning or filtration is not enough to protect people from COVID-19. When used along with other best practices recommended by CDC and other public health agencies, including social distancing and mask wearing, filtration can be part of a plan to reduce the potential for airborne transmission of COVID-19 indoors.

Air cleaners and HVAC filters are designed to filter pollutants or contaminants out of the air that passes thru them. Air cleaning and filtration can help reduce airborne contaminants, including particles containing viruses. Portable air cleaners (also known as air purifiers) may be particularly helpful when additional ventilation with outdoor air is not possible without compromising indoor comfort (temperature or humidity), or when outdoor air pollution is high.

In order for an air cleaner to be effective in removing viruses from the air, it must be able to remove small airborne particles (in the size range of 0.1-1 um). Manufacturers report this capability in several ways. In some cases, they may indicate particle removal efficiency for specific particle sizes (e.g. “removes 99.9% of particles as small as 0.3 um”). Many manufacturers use the Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) rating system to rate air cleaner performance. Others indicate they use High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters. In order to select an air cleaner that effectively filters viruses from the air, choose: 1) a unit that is the right size for the space you will be using it in (this is typically indicated by the manufacturer in square feet), 2) a unit that has a high CADR for smoke (vs. pollen or dust), is designated a HEPA unit, or specifically indicates that it filters particles in the 0.1-1 um size range.

Continued at https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/air-cleaners-hvac-filters-and-coronavirus-covid-19

Disclaimer from NADCA’s website FAQ -

Is air duct/HVAC system cleaning effective in mitigating COVID-19?

“We continue to learn more each day regarding how COVID-19 is spread and there is no definitive research to conclude exactly what role the HVAC system may or may not play in its spread. At this time, no one can definitively say whether or not air duct/HVAC system cleaning is effective in mitigating the spread of COVID-19.”

Click here for a full information brochure on the benefits of Z Bioscience products used by Better Air Quality.