Browse > Article
http://dx.doi.org/10.11629/jpaar.2022.18.3.051

Comparison of applicability of HVAC and air cleaners in a subway station platform against airborne infection of SARS-CoV-2  

Lee, Gunhee (Department of Sustainable Environmental Research, Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials)
Kim, Sang Bok (Department of Sustainable Environmental Research, Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials)
Park, Inyong (Department of Sustainable Environmental Research, Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials)
Hong, Kee Jung (Department of Sustainable Environmental Research, Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials)
Lee, Yeawan (Department of Sustainable Environmental Research, Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials)
Kim, Hak-Joon (Department of Sustainable Environmental Research, Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials)
Kim, Yong-Jin (Department of Sustainable Environmental Research, Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials)
Han, Bangwoo (Department of Sustainable Environmental Research, Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials)
Publication Information
Particle and aerosol research / v.18, no.3, 2022 , pp. 51-59 More about this Journal
Abstract
In this work, virion concentration and its dose changes by HVAC and air cleaners were estimated in a subway station platform to control airborne infection of SARS-CoV-2. Collection efficiencies with particle size were measured for the air filter equipped in a HVAC in one subway station in Daejeon. Indoor PM2.5 changes according to outdoor PM2.5 with time were also measured to estimate air infiltration rate in the subway station platform. When infected persons generate virions by 104, 105, 106, 3 × 106 and 5 × 106 h-1 in a 2,400 m3 volume platform, the concentration and dose were estimated as 9, 92, 275 and 458 virions/m3 and 4, 43, 130 and 217 virions after 1 hour exposure, respectively. The concentration and dose were reduced by 70%, and 64%, respectively by operations of both HVAC (with a flow rate of 16,000 m3/h, MERV 11) and ten air cleaners(with total CADR 10,740 m3/h) compared to those without operation of both HVAC and air cleaners. However, virion dose in the platform was estimated to be too low at the general conditions due to a large space, a high air infiltration (3 h-1) and a short residence time (usually < 10 mins) in the platform irrespective of the operations of HVAC or air cleaners. HVAC with filters and air cleaners would be more necessary in the concourse or shopping areas in the subway stations to reduce the infection dose from a few hundred to several tens virions in a hour.
Keywords
SARS-CoV-2; Subway; HVAC; Air cleaner; Clean air delivery rate (CADR);
Citations & Related Records
연도 인용수 순위
  • Reference
1 Wolfel, R., Corman, V.M., Guggemos, W., Seilmaier, M., Zange, S., Muller, M.A., Niemeyer, D., Jones, T.C., Vollmar, P., Rothe, C., Hoelscher, M., Bleicker, T., Brunink, S., Schneider, J., Ehmann, R., Zwirglmaier, K., Drosten, C., and Wendtner, C. (2020). Virological assessment of hospitalized patients with COVID-2019, Nature, 581, 465-469.   DOI
2 Xiang, J., Huang, C.-H., Shirai, J., Liu, Y., Carmona, N., Zuidema, C., Austin, E., Gould, T., Larson, T., and Seto, E. (2021). Field measurements of PM 2.5 infiltration factor and portable air cleaner effectiveness during wildfire episodes in US resi- dences, Science of the Total Environment, 773, 145642.   DOI
3 Zhao, B., An, N., Chen, C. (2020) Using an Air Purifier as a Supplementary Protective Measure in Dental Clinics During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic, Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 1-2.
4 Morawska, L., and Cao, J. (2020). Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2: The World Should Face the Reality, Environment International, 139, 105730.   DOI
5 Morawska, L., Johnson, G. R., Ristovski, Z. D. et al. (2009). Size distribution and sites of origin of droplets expelled from the human respiratory tract during expiratory activities, Journal of Aerosol Science, 40, 256-269.   DOI
6 Mousavi, E.S., Kananizadeh, N., Martinello, R.A., and Sherman J.D. (2021). COVID-19 Outbreak and Hospital Air Quality: A Systematic Review of Evidence on Air Filtration and Recirculation, Environmental Science and Technology, 55(7), 4134-4147.   DOI
7 Prather, K. A., Wang, C. C., and Schooley, R. T. (2020). Reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2, Science, 368(6498), 1422-1424.   DOI
8 ASHARE (2017). ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 52.2, Method of Testing General Ventilation Air Cleaning Devices for Removal Efficiency by Particle Size, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc.
9 Biasin, M., Bianco, A., Pareschi, G. et al. (2021). UV-C irradiation is highly effective in inactivating SARS-CoV-2 replication, Scientific Report, 11, 6260.   DOI
10 Buonanno, M., Welch, D., Shuryak, I., and Brenner D. J. (2020). Far-UVC light (222 nm) efficiently and safely inactivates airborne human coronaviruses, Scientific Report, 10, 10285.   DOI
11 Chen, Z., Garcia Jr. G., Arumugaswami, V., and Wirz, R. E. (2020). Cold atmospheric plasma for SARS-CoV-2 inactivation, Physics of Fluids, 32, 111702.   DOI
12 Ham, S. (2020). Prevention of Exposure to and Spread of COVID-19 using Air Purifiers: Challenges and Concerns, Epidemiol Health, 42, e2020027.   DOI
13 Chowdhury, M. A., Shuvho, M. B. A., Shahid, M. A., Haque, A. K. M. M., Kashem, M. A., Lam, S. S., Ong, H. C., Uddin, M. A., and Mofijur, M. (2021). Prospect of Biobased Antiviral Face Mask to Limit the Coronavirus Outbreak, Environmental Research, 192, 110294.   DOI
14 Christopherson, D.A., Yao, W.C., Lu, M., Vijayakumar, R., and Sedaghat, A.R. (2020). High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filters in the Era of COVID-19: Function and Efficacy, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 163(6), 1153-1155.   DOI
15 Filipic, A., Gutierrez-Aguirre, I., Primc, G., Mozetic, M. and Dobnik, D. (2020). Cold Plasma, a New Hope in the Field of Virus Inactivation, Trends in Biotechnology, 38(11), 1278-1291.   DOI
16 Hussain, A., Singhal, T., and EL-Hasani, S. (2020). Extent of infectious SARS-CoV-2 aerosolisation as a result of oesophagogastroduodenoscopy or colonoscopy, British Journal of Hospital Medicine, 81(7), 1-7.   DOI
17 Johnson G.R., Morawska L., Ristovski Z.D., Hargreaves M., Mengersen K., Chao C.Y.H., Wan M.P., Li Y., Xie X., Katoshevski D., et al. (2011). Modality of human expired aerosol size distributions. Journal of Aerosol Science, 42, 839-851.   DOI
18 Karimzadeh, S., Bhopal, R., and Nguyen Tien, H. (2021). Review of Infective Dose, Routes of Transmission, and Outcome of COVID-19 Caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Virus: Comparison with Other Respiratory Viruses, Epidemiology and Infection, 149, e96, 1-8.
19 Y.M. Bar-On, A. Flamholz, R. Phillips and R. Milo (2020). SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) by the numbers, elife, e57309.
20 Lindsley, W. G., Pearce, T. A., Hudnall, J. B., Davis, K. A., Davis, S. M., Fisher, M. A., Khakoo, R., Palmer, J. E., Clark, K. E., Celik, I., Coffey, C. C., Blachere, F. M., and Beezhold, D. H. (2012). Quantity and size distribution of cough-generated aerosol particles produced by influenza patients during and after illness, Journal of Occupational Environmental Hygiene, 9(7), 443-449.   DOI
21 Kim, J., Ki, D. and Lee, S. (2021). Analysis of Travel Mode Choice Change by the Spread of COVID-19 : The Case of Seoul, Korea, Journal of Korea Planning Association. 56(3), 113-129.
22 Lee, J. Yoo, D., Ryu, S., Ham, S., Lee, K., Yeo, M., Min, K., and Yoon, C. (2019). Quantity, Size Distribution, and Characteristics of Cough-Generated Aerosol Produced by Patients with an Upper Respiratory Tract Infection, Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 19(4), 840-853.   DOI
23 Morawska, L., Tang, J. W., Bahnfleth, W. et al. (2020). How can airborne transmission of COVID-19 indoors be minimised?, Environment International, 142, 105832.   DOI
24 Shaughnessy, R.J., and Sextro R.G. (2006). What is an Effective Portable Air Cleaning Device? A Review, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 3(4), 169-181.   DOI
25 Repace, J., Al-Delaimy, W.K., and Bernert, J.T. (2006). Correlating Atmospheric and Biological Markers in Studies of Secondhand Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Dose in Children and Adults, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 48(2), 181-194.   DOI
26 Stadnytskyi, V., Bax, C.E., Bax, A., and Anfinrud, P. (2020). The Airborne Lifetime of Small Speech Droplets and Their Potential Importance in SARS-CoV-2 Transmission, PNAS, 117(22), 11875-11877.   DOI
27 Xie, X., Li, Y., Chwang, A., Ho, P., and Seto, W. (2007). How far droplets can move in indoor environ- ment-revisiting the wells evaporation-falling curve, Indoor Air, 17(3), 211-225.   DOI
28 Smith, S.H., Somsen, G.A., van Rijn C., Kooij S., van der Hoek, L., Bem, R.A., and Bonn, D. (2020). Aerosol Persistence in Relation to Possible Transmission of SARS-CoV-2, Physics of Fluids, 32, 107108.   DOI