Contamination Control

In emergency situations, such as outbreaks of life-threatening diseases, epidemics or even pandemics, urgent action must be taken to inhibit the spread of the disease and its transmitters.

Airborne transmission mostly occurs in indoor environments where people spend over 90% of their time. Increasing ventilation rate (Air Change Rate - ACR) is believed to reduce the cross infection of airborne transmitted diseases by removing or diluting pathogenladen airborne droplet nuclei. Find out more

HEPA (High Effciency Particulate Air) filters are used for airborne contamination control and are classified H13 or H14 according to the EN 1822 standard. These ratings guarantee a removal effciency of 99.95% (H13) or 99.995% (H14) of the most penetrating particle size (MPPS), typically in the size range of 0.1 µm – around the size of many types of viruses.

HEPA filters are used for a wide range of different applications, but typically focus on serving three broad purposes:

SUPPLY AIR
To create a clean environment inside a room by removing harmful or dangerous particulate from the incoming air flow.
EXHAUST AIR
To ensure that the air leaving a room is clean and safe, and does not pose a threat to the wider environment.
VENTILATION SYSTEM
To prevent the spread of contamination through the ventilation system.

For detailled information on our High Efficiency Air Filters see:
airfiltration.mann-hummel.com.

A simple principle: creating air pressure cascades

The term "invisible walls" does sound somewhat strange when speaking in the context of air filtration, but when taking a closer look, it all comes down to a simple principle: creating air pressure cascades.

But what are pressure cascades and what are they used for?

There are two different options for pressure cascades depending on the use case. You can keep a room under either positive or negative pressure in comparison to its surrounding environment, e.g. a hallway. Logically, air always moves from higher pressure areas to lower pressure areas. Find out more

High effciency (HEPA) air filters are used to create isolation rooms and ensure that contaminated air cannot reach the wider environment. Do you want to know how HEPA filters should be employed, how to handle high effciency filters, and what you need to consider when modifying the ventilation system to enable their installation?
Find out more

Studies have shown that while coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, is typically transmitted through respiratory droplets (coughs & sneezes), the virus may remain suspended in the air for hours. Tri-Dim’s portable TRI-KLEEN 400UV unit can provide negative pressure to support the removal of harmful contaminants, such as e. g. viruses from an airborne state, through the use of HEPA filtration and UV lights.

Tri-Dim website >>

Commercial

In times of coronavirus commercial property managers are seeking ways to keep their occupants as safe as possible from virus threat. Tri-Dim has specific recommendations for filtration systems. Take a look!

Healthcare

Check out Tri-Dim's portable air filtration system TRI-KLEEN 400UV. It creates a negative pressure an helps hospitals to keep the air circulating within a specific room and thus restricts the release of contaminated air into other areas.

Schools

Due to the coronavirus, schools are closing across the world. Some schools are still open, though. Now it is even more important to limit the spread of disease in schools. Our group member, Tri-Dim recommends suitable filtration solutions and informs about precautions for school environments. Have a look!

Casino

Most likely the traffic in casinos has been decreasing significantly during the past couple of days. Nevertheless, SARS-CoV-2 is typically transmitted through respiratory droplets (coughs & sneezes) and the virus can remain suspended in the air for up to three hours. Ever heard about TRI-KLEEN 400UV? See Tri-Dim´s solution here.

covid-19@mann-hummel.com

Personal hygiene and distance (>2 m) from sick people is important, but an effective prevention strategy should include several or all of the following:

HEPA filters are tested and rated by their performance at retaining particles at the most penetrating particle size (MPPS) i. e. 99.95% for H13 HEPAs and 99.995% for H14 acc. to EN 1822.
This means that HEPA filters will remove any solid or liquid particle from the air with an efficiency of at least 99.95 %
Viruses like SARS-CoV-2 also often attach themselves to larger particles well within the focus of HEPA filters.
HEPA filtration should be a key part of your infection control strategy if it’s appropriate to your building.

they can provide additional air cleaning capabilities for buildings without any high efficiency filtration system
Make sure to use high quality products with good filters. Low quality air cleaners can do more harm than good by creating a turbulent air flow while contributing little cleaning power
dilution with fresh air should still be prioritized
place the device as close as possible to your location, so you breathe the actual filtered air. The larger the distance to the AP, the higher the chance to inhale swirling contaminants which could include viruses.
Activated carbon stage can remove hazardous gases released by cleaning agents (avoiding side effects from additional cleaning activity).

increasing dilution with fresh outside air is most important
use the same filter classes as generally recommended (e.g. at least ISO ePM1 50% with an ISO ePM10 pre-filter stage)
maintain normal filter change intervals
disable air re-circulation entirely or reduce it to a minimum
if necessary increase fresh air dilution by frequently opening windows
higher energy consumption should not be the main concern during these times

for healthcare and maintenance workers i.e. glasses, gloves, respirators, masks and clothing

move droplet nuclei out of breathing zones

In healthcare facilities, suspected or confirmed coronavirus patients should be placed in airborne infection isolation rooms with a negative pressure and appropriate HEPA or above filtration on the recirculation or exhaust air flows.

of contaminated air i. e. exhaust too close to HVAC air intakes

Check that all filters are operating effectively. And, when it’s time to change filters, take care not to release any viruses
that have collected on the filter media into the internal environment – remembering that SARS-CoV-2 can survive for up to several days on surfaces. Dispose of any contaminated waste according to the guidelines in your location.

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The coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has certainly grabbed the attention of the world, governments and financial markets. Let's take a look at what the virus is, how it is spread and what we can do to help control the virus. For latest information and warnings you can check the World Health Organization and other relevant authorities to keep abreast.