Hosted by the US EPA
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a large increase in the commercialization of air cleaners. Some air cleaners work based on filtering (e.g., HEPA filters or low-cost Corsi-Rosenthal boxes). Other types work based on chemical reactions or ultraviolet light that change pathogen molecules and render them non-infective.
Some air cleaners produce ozone or particulate matter, which can degrade indoor air quality. In this presentation we will examine these types of air cleaners and compare the estimated reduction in mortality due to reduced airborne disease transmission (COVID-19 and flu) with the estimated increase in mortality due to degradation of indoor air quality. Several sensitivity studies will be presented for a range of situations.
Featured Speaker: Jose-Luis Jimenez, Ph.D., University of Colorado-Boulder Jose-Luis Jimenez, Ph.D., is a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Fellow of CIRES at the University of Colorado-Boulder. He earned his Ph.D. at MIT in Mechanical Engineering in 1999 and his MS at the Univ. of Zaragoza (Spain) and Univ. of Compiegne (France) in 1993. His research group focuses on advanced real-time aerosol and gas composition measurements, as well as computer modeling. He is a 2014-2022 Highly Cited Researcher, and a Fellow of the AAAR and the AGU. Since the pandemic he has been investigating airborne transmission, including its dynamics, prevention, and history.