• Journal of Korean Academy of Dental Administration
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2020

Dental settings have unique characteristics that warrant specific infection control considerations, including (1) prioritizing the most critical dental services and provide care in a way that minimizes harm to patients due to delayed care, or harm to personnel from potential exposure to persons infected with the COVID-19 disease, and (2) proactively communicate to both personnel and patients the need for them to stay at home if sick. For health care, an interim infection prevention and control recommendation (COVID-19) is recommended for patients suspected of having coronavirus or those whose status has been confirmed. SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19, is thought to be spread primarily between people who are in close contact with one another (within 6 feet) through respiratory droplets that are produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. Airborne transmission from person-to-person over long distances is unlikely. However, COVID-19 is a new disease, and there remain uncertainties about its mode of spreads and the severity of illness it causes. The virus has been shown to persist in aerosols for several hours, and on some surfaces for days under laboratory conditions. COVID-19 may also be spread by people who are asymptomatic. The practice of dentistry involves the use of rotary dental and surgical instruments, such as handpieces or ultrasonic scalers, and air-water syringes. These instruments create a visible spray that can contain particle droplets of water, saliva, blood, microorganisms, and other debris. While KF 94 masks protect the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose from droplet spatter, they do not provide complete protection against the inhalation of airborne infectious agents. If the patient is afebrile (temperature <100.4°F)* and otherwise without symptoms consistent with COVID-19, then dental care may be provided using appropriate engineering and administrative controls, work practices, and infection control considerations. It is necessary to provide supplies for respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette, including alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) with 60%~95% alcohol, tissues, and no-touch receptacles for disposal, at healthcare facility entrances, waiting rooms, and patient check-ins. There is also the need to install physical barriers (e.g., glass or plastic windows) in reception areas to limit close contact between triage personnel and potentially infectious patients. Ideally, dental treatment should be provided in individual rooms whenever possible, with a spacing of at least 6 feet between the patient chairs. Further, the use of easy-to-clean floor-to-ceiling barriers will enhance the effectiveness of portable HEPA air filtration systems. Before and after all patient contact, contact with potentially infectious material, and before putting on and after removing personal protective equipment, including gloves, hand hygiene after removal is particularly important to remove any pathogens that may have been transferred to the bare hands during the removal process. ABHR with 60~95% alcohol is to be used, or hands should be washed with soap and water for at least 20 s.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.116-122
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• 2022

Background: The recent COVID-19 pandemic is one of the worst disease outbreaks of the 21th century. Due to a lack of reliable antiviral therapeutics, wearing face masks is recommended to prevent airborne infection originating from virus-contaminated bioaerosols. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the filtration efficiencies of face masks that are commercially available in South Korea for a biological aerosol of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and murine coronavirus, a well-known surrogate for human coronaviruses. Methods: We collected six different kinds of commercial masks: two Korea Filter (KF)94 (KF94-1, KF94-2) masks, one surgical (Surgical-1) mask, one anti-droplet (KF-AD-1) mask, and two dust (Dust-1, Dust-2) face masks. S. aureus (ATCC 6538), a well-performing test bacteria and murine coronavirus (ATCC VR-764) were prepared under a suitable culture condition. Then, a mask biological filtration tester was used to examine the microbial filtration efficiencies of masks. Test microorganisms were quantitatively measured via cultivation methods and microbial filtration efficiencies were calculated appropriately. Results: All face masks showed over 99.6% filtration efficiency for S. aureus or murine coronavirus. There were no significant differences among the bacterial filtration efficiencies of the face masks. KF94-1 (99.97±0.08%) and Dust-1 mask (99.97±0.07%) showed the highest (over 99.9%) filtration efficiency for murine coronavirus. KF94-1 or Dust-1 masks showed a significant virus filtration efficiency compared to Surgical-1 mask (p<0.05; Mann-Whitney U test). Conclusions: All the commercially available face masks used in this study can filter S. aureus or murine coronavirus in bioaerosols efficiently, regardless of the mask type. Therefore, our results suggest that wearing a certified face mask is a reliable means to prevent the transmission of infectious airborne diseases via biological aerosols.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2011

HPAI (High pathogenic avian influenza) which is a disease legally designated as an epidemic generally shows rapid spread of disease resulting in high mortality rate as well as severe economic damages. Because Korea is contiguous with China and southeast Asia where HPAI have occurred frequently, there is a high risk for HPAI outbreak. A prompt treatment against epidemics is most important for prevention of disease spread. The spread of HPAI should be considered by both direct and indirect contact as well as various spread factors including airborne spread. There are high risk of rapid propagation of HPAI flowing through the air because of collective farms mostly in Korea. Field experiments for the mechanism of disease spread have limitations such as unstable weather condition and difficulties in maintaining experimental conditions. In this study, therefore, computational fluid dynamics which has been actively used for mass transfer modeling were adapted. Korea has complex terrains and many livestock farms are located in the mountain regions. GIS numerical map was used to estimate spreads of virus attached aerosol by means of designing three dimensional complicated geometry including farm location, road network, related facilities. This can be used as back data in order to take preventive measures against HPAI occurrence and spread.

• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2022

Since 2019, the corona virus has been continuously affect human life. In particular, in the indoor space where people live, infection by airborne transmission of viruses is a problem. Among them, the spread in the subway, which is the main mode of transport for humans, can be serious. To solve this problem, our research team developed an ionic wind collector to collect and remove corona virus using an ionic wind collector and ozone. In order to apply the ionic wind collector to the subway, it must operate in two modes. Because large amounts of ozone are harmful to the human body. There is a mode that collects bio-aerosol from the air using ionic wind and a mode that inactivates viruses floating in the air by generating a large amount of ozone. As the applied voltage increased, the cleaning ability of the ionic wind collector increased, and the farther the distance between the discharge electrode and the ground plate, the higher the cleaning ability even at low current. In addition, clean air delivery rate (CADR) of an ionic wind collector was up to 5.5 m³/min. As a result of measuring the amount of ozone generated, it was confirmed that 50 ppb to 250 ppb was generated, and it was confirmed that ozone generation was controllable in the ionic wind dust collector.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.881-890
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• 2010

As Influenza A virus(H1N1) has been spreading more rapidly around globe, the study on the airborne disease which is transimitted through the respiratory system is on the rise. In this study, the multizone simulation of the public building against bioviolence is performed in the case of unexpected spread of microbial contaminants, such as bioviolence agent, Influenza A, Smallpox, B. anthrax and transport and control characteristics of above three kinds of bioviolence agents are evaluted. Results suggest that Influenza A and Smallpox which has small mean diameter can be more removable than B. anthrax by using high UVGI grade condition and B. anthrax which has large mean diameter can be more removable than Influenza A and Smallpox by using high filter grade condition. Results also suggest that installing a combined air treatment system is more effective to reduce the damage and engineers will use immune building technology for removing the bioviolence agents effectively.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.32 no.5 s.92
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• pp.478-484
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• 2006

There was no significant difference in the CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) between physical aerosols, NaCl and smoke, and biological aerosols, airborne MS2 virus and P. fluorescens, which implicate that the hybrid-type of air purifier, applying the unipolar ion emission and the radiant catalytic ionization, imposed identical reduction effect on both physical aerosol and bioaerosol. Ventilation decreases the efficiency of air cleaning by unipolar ionization because high ventilation diminishes the particle concentration reduction effect. The particle removal efficiency decreases with increase in the chamber volume because of the augmented ion diffusion and higher ion wall loss rate. Particle size affects the efficiency of air ionization. The efficiency is high for particles with very small diameter because reduction of charge increases with particle size. If there is no increasing supply of ions, the efficiency of air cleaning by unipolar ionization increases with respect to initial concentration of particles because of the large space charge effect at high particle concentration and amplified electric field.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.83 no.2
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• pp.132-140
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• 2020

In human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients, Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) is a well-known opportunistic infection and its management has been established. However, PCP is an emerging threat to immunocompromised patients without HIV infection, such as those receiving novel immunosuppressive therapeutics for malignancy, organ transplantation, or connective tissue diseases. Clinical manifestations of PCP are quite different between patients with and without HIV infections. In patients without HIV infection, PCP rapidly progresses, is difficult to diagnose correctly, and causes severe respiratory failure with a poor prognosis. High-resolution computed tomography findings are different between PCP patients with HIV infection and those without. These differences in clinical and radiological features are due to severe or dysregulated inflammatory responses that are evoked by a relatively small number of Pneumocystis organisms in patients without HIV infection. In recent years, the usefulness of polymerase chain reaction and serum β-D-glucan assay for rapid and non-invasive diagnosis of PCP has been revealed. Although corticosteroid adjunctive to anti-Pneumocystis agents has been shown to be beneficial in some populations, the optimal dose and duration remain to be determined. Recent investigations revealed that Pneumocystis colonization is prevalent and that asymptomatic carriers are at risk for developing PCP and can serve as the reservoir for the spread of Pneumocystis by airborne transmission. These findings suggest the need for chemoprophylaxis in immunocompromised patients as well as infection control measures, although the indications remain controversial. Because a variety of novel immunosuppressive therapeutics have been emerging in medical practice, further innovations in the diagnosis and treatment of PCP are needed.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.147-151
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• 2019

Modern people spend most of their daily lives in their homes, schools, or workplaces, hospitals, shopping malls, subway stations, rooms, and parking lots. According to the survey, air quality management at the multi-use facility is less than 50% satisfied. In this study, a photocatalytic filtration system is developed by utilizing a broadband-to-active photocatalyst that utilizes a media photocatalyst filter that removes airborne germs from indoor air as well as indoor air quality and operates on visible light as well as ultraviolet light.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.167-173
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• 2005

Background : Airborne particles during Yellow Sand phenomena are known to be associated with the respiratory disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the concentration and metal component properties of Yellow Sand particles and compare with airborne microbial concentration and species in non Yellow Sand and Yellow Sand phenomena. Methods : Samplings were carried out in 2002 in Seosan, during non Yellow Sand and Yellow Sand phenomena. Samples were taken using the 8-stage Cascade impactor and metallic elements were analyzed by XRF. Those were culture on the media for bacterial and fungal culture and celline for virus. Results : The concentration of total suspended particulate matter were respectively $80.2{\mu}g/m^3$, $40.3{\mu}g/m^3$ in non Yellow Sand and Yellow Sand phenomena. The concentration of metallic elements such as Ca, Fe, Cu and Zn in Yellow Sand phenomena were higher than its in non Yellow Sand. Two bacteria, Bacillus species and Staphylococcus were grown in two periods. In both periods, several fungal spores(Mucor species, Cladosporum, Alternaria, Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Alternaria species) were identified. The differences of bacteria and fungus species not observed in Yellow Sand and non Yellow Sand. Any viruses were not isolated in between both periods. Conclusions : The concentration of total suspended particulate matter and some metallic elements in Yellow Sand phenomena were higher than its in non Yellow Sand. The difference of bacteria and fungus species was not observed in non Yellow Sand and Yellow Sand phenomena.