Buildings Could Use a Breath of Fresh Air

It’s been more than two years since the onset of the pandemic, and despite advancements in vaccines and a better understanding of how the virus is spread, the harsh reality is that we will be dealing with COVID-19 transmission for a very long time. The good news is that those in the construction industry, as well as local companies and business leaders, can breathe easier by utilizing the technology available to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) and make spaces healthier and safer by reducing the transmission of airborne viruses.

Health officials and practitioners have underscored the importance of UV filtration and air ventilation in buildings to reduce the spread of disease. In March 2022, The White House released a report recommending using UV filtration systems to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 indoors. Several Federal departments and agencies have launched the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge. They lay out suggested actions and resources and offered funding to support improvements in ventilation, filtration, and clean indoor air to support upgrades to local businesses, nonprofits, community centers, and other commercial and public establishments. Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency released a guide for building managers, contractors, homeowners and business owners to create an action plan for cleaner indoor air.

The SCV is an excellent example of a community utilizing this technology and offers best practices to improve indoor air quality in public and private facilities. We are home to one of the largest sub-clusters of companies specializing in Uv-filtration systems, including UV Resources, UVDI, Applied Companies, Visual Terrain and Sterilaire. Our ongoing collaboration between private and public sector leaders has given SCV leadership access to the expertise of folks who’ve been hard at work over the past decades developing technologies that ensure high-quality air within buildings.

Thanks to ultraviolet air and surface disinfection technology developed by Valencia-based UVDI, Wits University Donald Gordon Medical Center (WDGMC), a private teaching hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, was able to reduce COVID transmissions within hospital settings significantly. A study released by WDGMC showed that by pairing the UVDI-360 Room Sanitizer with ultraviolet room decontamination technology with manual cleaning protocols, the transmission of carbapenemresistant Enterobacterales decreased by 23% in a hospital setting. According to the hospital’s study and 35 independent laboratory tests, UVDI’S room sanitizer could eliminate up to 99.99% of critical microorganisms in just five minutes from eight feet away and SARS-COV-2 from 12 feet away.