Today, ARPA-H announced the BREATHE program to revolutionize how we monitor and improve indoor air quality.

The Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized improving indoor air quality as an effective tool for keeping people healthy.

BREATHE easy. Our new program aims to revolutionize public health by transforming a building’s ability to eliminate indoor air threats. arpa-h.gov/news-and-event…

Goals for schools looking at buying portable air filters:
1. Bring existing ventilation/filtration (assume windows closed) to a total clean air delivery rate of 10L/p/s or 5-6 air changes per hr
2. Total noise level < 45dBA
3. Flexible positioning
4. Multiple devices per class🧵

Distinguished Professor Lidia Morawska:

“People more and more realise the significance of good [indoor] air quality and realise the problem with infection transmission.”

“…you look at the CO2 sensor and if the concentration is elevated, it means there's a problem.”

Replacing the 2+ year old hepa in the kids bedroom. New filter at left in both images; Old filter pre-external dust removal (left image; we do this every few months) & after dust removal (right image).

As this shows, indoor air is not clean unless you make it so, often…

New: Airborne disease transmission risks on public transit buses: Impacts of ridership, duration, and mechanical filtration using a relative risk metric
sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

🇳🇱 17 organisations work together in the €4.3 M Clean Air for Everyone project : universities, research institutes, companies and industry associations. They investigate whether ventilation and air purification in schools can reduce the risk of infection.
uu.nl/en/news/every-…

Public Health is (also) a job for engineers. For example, they design ventilation systems to ensure excellent air renewal in concert halls and amphitheaters. Don't have any engineers on your public health task force yet? Maybe it's time to change that.
asme.org/topics-resourc…

In a theater, to ensure efficient ventilation, fresh air can be brought in from below at the level of each seat, as shown in the photo: the circular grilles are the theater's air vents. Pass your hand over them and you feel a stream of fresh air coming out. Excellent air-score.

No study has been done to support the first definitive statement, and for the second, there is no recommendation by any official body that consists of simply time and distance with no mention of power output.

We all want Far-UVC to become more widely deployed, but our enthusiasm…

Today, a group of international experts led by Prof Lidia Morawska FAA (QUT) has presented a blueprint for national indoor quality standards for public buildings, in Science Magazine. How can indoor air quality standards be monitored and enforced? Read: science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…

And since WHO is finally using the A-word, here’s our new paper on the need for mandated standards on indoor air quality.
#CovidIsAirborne

science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…

Comments from Prof Morawska and myself on the recent big steps toward better indoor air quality. Thanks Tory Shepherd Guardian Australia.
theguardian.com/australia-news…

'Maybe the #1 lesson from the pandemic was the need for proper air ventilation.' Bill Maher

👇

Cleaning the air with purifiers or ventilation prevent airborne illness spread.

There's a lot of benefits to preventing illness beyond just preventing hospitalizations. Taking fewer sick days, enjoying more illness free weekends, accumulating fewer post viral illnesses, etc.

Professor Prof Cath Noakes #Ventilate 😷 💙 from Engineering at Leeds has joined forces with scientists from around the globe to call for mandatory indoor air quality standards in public buildings. Experts say social & economic benefits to public health should far outweigh the costs. leeds.ac.uk/main-index/new…

BREAKING: WHO unequivocally uses the word “airborne” to depict infectious particles transmitted in the air (fits with “waterborne”, “foodborne” etc). Hopefully this easy-to understand terminology will be used throughout WHO.

iris.who.int/handle/10665/3…

Data I was analysing on outbreak clusters from Victoria in late 2021 confirmed that schools were the source of far more clusters of cases than everywhere else combined.

Henry is right: improving ventilation in schools would have a big impact.
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I talked to Mx. Kit O'Connell for this piece in the Texas Observer about importance of cleaning the air to reduce risk of infection with airborne pathogens

texasobserver.org/long-covid-tex…