Medical Facilities Air Quality Management

In 1997, the EPA was the first to legally recognize the need for regulated air quality in medical facilities. The guidelines that they put in place not only involved outside toxic emissions, but those that a hospital creates on an every day basis. But what, does one ask, would a health facility like a hospital have to do with unclean emissions? A lot.

One of the many culprits is the burning of hospital waste, which emits various air pollutants, including hydrochloric acid, dioxin/furan, and the toxic metals lead, cadmium, and mercury.¹ Hospital hallways and rooms, though meticulously cleaned and hygienically sealed, are as susceptible to pollution as any public facility. Sealed hospital buildings have a higher humidity level, which helps bacteria, viruses, and molds multiply. These contaminants reproduce where water has collected in ducts, humidifiers, carpeting, insulation, and ceiling tiles. What does this mean, and what are the ramifications of it?

Airborne infectious particles are a potential source of hospital infections, and are one of the most common environmental health issues clinicians face. Control of airborne microorganisms depends on measures consistent with aseptic technique as well as contamination control connected with ventilation. Human-source microbes, especially Staphylococcus and Enterococcus species, are controlled with standard contact precautions. Ventilation is critical and can be used to control the spread of airborne human-source infectious agents such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Varicella zoster and Rubella. Symptoms usually increase in severity the longer a person is in a contaminated building and gradually disappear after a person leaves the building. The symptoms, although not life-threatening, can be very unpleasant and disruptive, causing lost work time, reduced productivity, and disability. Symptoms include eye irritation, dry throat, runny nose, sinus congestion, nose irritation, shortness of breath, sneezing, chest tightness, headache, fatigue, mental confusion, dizziness, skin irritation, rashes, and nausea. Poor-- quality indoor air can cause or contribute to chronic diseases that do not go away such as asthma, chemical sensitivity, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. The following are statistics related to asthma developed from air pollutants.²

As a definition for a Class 1000 clean room, "there are less than 1000 particles per cubic foot greater than 0.5µm in diameter" to achieve a clean-room status.⁴ This information is especially useful for ensuring filtration integrity or detecting air infiltration in a critical environment before the area is occupied.

According to the EPA, one of the most effective ways of achieving clean-room status is through the use of mechanical filters and electronic air cleaners. In order to ensure that you are receiving the highest quality cleaning device for your money, there ar four important factors to keep in mind while making your selection. These are efficiency, clean air delivery rate, ozone production levels, and certification. Efficiency means how effectively and quickly particles are drawn through the filter. Clean air delivery rate means the volume of air that can pass through the filter in a given time. If this rate is too low, it will not matter if the filter itself is "effective." Ozone generators are sometimes marketed as air cleaners. However, ozone itself is a pollutant that can cause damage to the lungs, chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath, and throat irritation. "Ozone may also worsen chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and compromise the ability of the body to fight respiratory infections." Ozone in safe amounts has been proven to have little effect on reducing indoor air contaminants.

At Pyramid Air, "Certified" means that our HEPA filter air purifiers are individually tested to perform at 99.97% efficiency. They do not produce unsafe levels of ozone. They do have UVGI systems to help destroy airborne bacteria and diseases that might otherwise be too small to be caught in the filter, and unlike any other similar product on the market today, the UV lamps in all of our units are installed on the intake (dirty side) of the primary filter to help destroy airborne pathogens but also prevent bacteria and mold growth on the HEPA filters.

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¹ Information from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
² Information from the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases
³ Information from Envirohealth Action
⁴ Information from the Sharpened online glossary of computer terms, definition of "clean room"