Air systems reassuring but they’re not cheap
Experts urge caution to businesses thinking of spending big on air purification. By
In the Covid-19 era, sneezing loudly in the office can turn heads, especially if the perpetrator is un-masked. So, as well as complaining about air conditioning that runs too hot or too cold, workers are now asking whether soupedup ventilation can deal with virus particles, helping slow the spread of Omicron.
For Auckland business owner Greg Nell, installing an air sanitiser in his baby gear shop Nelly Boo was all about peace of mind for shoppers, many of them pregnant women or parents with unvaccinated toddlers in tow.
“They spend a lot of time in here, and especially with Omicron we felt it was the best way to keep our customers safe, even though it’s a big expense.”
It costs Nell about $200 a month to rent his unit from water cooler company Big Blue, which began distributing portable air cleaners in 2020, and has supplied thousands to MIQ hotels, hospitals, dentists, law and accounting firms and hairdressers.
Quest Henderson franchisee Greg Scott has invested about $30,000 installing similar technology into the Auckland apartment hotel’s corridors, lifts, office and reception area. “We’ve made the hotel Covid-safe.”
The body corporate managing Quest on Eden will vote this week on whether to proceed with the same ReSPR system at a cost of $500 per apartment.
The ReSPR technology acts on water vapour to produce diluted hydrogen peroxide gas, commonly used as a disinfectant in hospitals, to clean air and surfaces.
Australian company Airande distributes ReSPR in Australia, New Zealand and Europe, and chief executive Bill Hovey says that pre-pandemic it was already around in Europe and the US, where it is found in public transport, hotels and stadiums.
Across the Tasman it has been installed in gyms, corporate offices, and prisoner transport vehicles, and the recently appointed New Zealand distributor is hoping the Ministry of Education will consider it for schools.
The 5000 portable Samsung units already ordered for classrooms will filter and recirculate air, but the ministry’s website says it is working closely with a technical advisory group to explore air cleaners based on emerging technology such as ionisers, ozone generators or photocatalytic oxidisers.
Such systems are not recommended by the New Zealand Indoor Air Quality Research Centre, a group of experts advising the Government, because they say some of the substances produced to deactivate the virus can be harmful if breathed in (ozone, for example).
Otago University public health expert and centre member Dr Julie Bennett has monitored some larger offices around Wellington, and she says the ventilation is pretty good, so investing in expensive air purification systems may not be costeffective.
“It comes back to public health measures like mask use, vaccination and other preventive measures, rather than a unit. It might make people feel safer, but I don’t necessarily think that they are.”
The Ministry of Health recommends caution when buying systems that claim to reduce the risk of infection or offer protection against Covid-19, and urges businesses to get advice from a registered heating, ventilation and air conditioning engineer.
Jacksons Engineering managing director Lance Jimmieson helped design negative pressure systems for Green Lane Hospital during the Sars outbreak in the early 2000s.
He is uncomfortable about marketing spin which is not backed up by hard evidence from independent research published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
He says his consultancy is getting a lot of inquiries.
‘‘It’s being driven by staff asking, ‘is this a safe place to be inside, and what have you done to air conditioning systems to ensure our safety’?’’
The problem is that the virus particles are microscopic, so some can potentially get through even high-grade filters, but they can be dealt to by ultraviolet light, like that used to sterilise water.
‘‘That’s the best technology we see on
the market at the moment.’’
It does not come cheap. ‘‘You could easily spend over six figures if you wanted to do it properly.’’
Jimmieson also warns buyers to carefully check manufacturers’ claims about the size of rooms a portable air cleaning device can service – ‘‘[it’s] usually a very optimistic figure with no data to back-up claims.’’
The Facilities Management Association has 600 members who look after everything from office buildings and event centres, to swimming pools and prisons.
Board chairman Bruce Kenning says it is aware of new technology, but for owners with large portfolios, the cost is high, and the emphasis is on making sure existing air conditioning systems are well maintained.
The website for Big Blue’s Active Pure units says they seek and destroy viruses such as Covid-19, reducing airborne exposure by more than 99.9 per cent inside three minutes, and doing the same for surface exposure within seven hours.
The units are endorsed by Auckland City Hospital clinical microbiologist Dr Arthur Morris who was engaged as a consultant by Big Blue to review technical information supplied by the manufacturer before it became a distributor.
Morris says that while there was no independent peerreviewed research published in scientific journals, he was satisfied with the reports from testing facilities that complied with European and ISO standards of testing.
He says that in somewhere like a classroom, adequate ventilation, good air flow, physical distancing and mask wearing may be sufficient.
‘‘But there are environments where there’s not much air circulation, and you need to do something to it.’’