Keeping indoor air clean can reduce the chance of spreading coronavirus, according to Shelly Miller, professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder

The vast majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs indoors, mostly from the inhalation of airborne particles that contain the coronavirus.

But in spite of the obvious risks posed by being inside, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, small household gatherings are driving much of the recent surge in cases.

The best way to prevent the virus from spreading in a home would be simply to keep infected people away. But this is hard to do when an estimated 40% of cases are asymptomatic and asymptomatic people can still spread the coronavirus to others. Next safest is to entertain outside, but if you can’t, there are a few things you can do to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus.

First – and most important – always wear masks, make sure everyone stays at least 6 feet away from other people and don’t spend too much time indoors. But in addition to these precautions, making sure the air inside is as clean as possible can also help.

Fresh air is safer air

A safer home is one that constantly has lots of outside air replacing the stale air inside. Homes are typically ventilated through open windows or doors, or from air leaking in through unintentional openings and cracks in the building itself.

A typical air exchange rate for a home is around 0.5 air changes per hour. Because of the complicated way air moves, that translates into taking about two hours to replace two-thirds of the air inside an average home and about six hours to replace all of it.

This slow air exchange is not good when you want to limit the spread of an airborne virus.nside is as clean as possible can also help.

How does air pollution affect us?

An adult breathes 15,000 litres of air every day. When we breathe polluted air pollutants get into our lungs; they can enter the bloodstream and be carried to our internal organs such as the brain. This can cause severe health problems such as asthma, cardiovascular diseases and even cancer and reduces the quality and number of years of life. (New evidence even suggests that every organ in the human body is harmed.) Vulnerable groups, namely children, people with chronic diseases, and the eldery, are particularly sensitive to the dangerous effects of toxic air pollution.

Polluted air also causes eutrophication and acidification of our ecosystems, which results in the loss of agricultural productivity, irreversible damage to ecosystems and the loss of biodiversity. Last but not least, air pollution causes severe damage to our cultural heritage by degrading architectural masterpieces that are part of our national and European identity.

Why is it so important to tackle air quality threats from road and diesel machine sources?

Our roads are crowded with motor vehicles. Vehicle exhaust gases contain a number of dangerous pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particles, and unfortunately we are exposed to them every day. Exposure is particularly important if we live in a city or near a busy road or highway. Road transport is responsible for 39% of NOx emissions from all land sources. Diesel machinery also represents an important health problem, in particular for workers using it.

The health risks of breathing in the dust and small particles flying through during a UAE sandstorm are well documented — and now, so too is the menace of indoor air pollution. Dust, mould and pet dander are just a few of its sources, and the UAE’s higher-than-average dependency on air conditioning could be exacerbating the damage being done to us. According to a study of 104 childcare centres in Singapore cited by the EPA-funded Indoor Air Quality Scientific Findings Resource Bank, air conditioning (relative to natural ventilation) was associated with a 20-40 per cent increase in cough and lower respiratory illnesses such as bronchiolitis, bronchitis and pneumonia. However, a number of companies are introducing products in this market to help tackle the issue.

One of these is Hitachi, which offers a range of air purifiers retailing at a broad range of price points, from Dh943 to Dh4,723. “The air purifier is not only seen as a solution to respiratory infections but also the ideal home solution for living healthy,” says Tomoaki Sato, Deputy General Manager at Hitachi Sales Middle East. “A good air purifier is often the ideal solution for in-home airborne contamination.”

Sato credits improving technology and lower base prices for helping take indoor air purifiers from niche to mainstream products. “We are seeing more customers buying an air purifier for not only health but also wellness reasons.” Sato points out humidification, filtration and odour elimination features alongside the increasing prevalence of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters as features being integrated into air purifiers. “Now we see a trend towards Wi-Fi connectivity through apps for not only air purifiers but also other appliances, which they can control and monitor.”

Sato credits improving technology and lower base prices for helping take indoor air purifiers from niche to mainstream products. “We are seeing more customers buying an air purifier for not only health but also wellness reasons.” Sato points out humidification, filtration and odour elimination features alongside the increasing prevalence of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters as features being integrated into air purifiers. “Now we see a trend towards Wi-Fi connectivity through apps for not only air purifiers but also other appliances, which they can control and monitor.”

Daniel Hagström, CEO of Blueair Cabin Air, a newly launched in-car air purifier, says connected products are a necessity today.“[Connectivity] has become the mainstream. It will be more of a system-based approach, both in homes and in cars.”