Tag

Airborne Pathogens

All articles tagged with #airborne pathogens

Jet Sink Ventilation: Personalized Airflow Cuts Indoor Infection Risk
technology18 days ago

Jet Sink Ventilation: Personalized Airflow Cuts Indoor Infection Risk

UBC Okanagan researchers developed an induction-removal, or jet-sink, personalized airflow device that surrounds the user and pulls exhaled aerosols into a localized purification area, dramatically lowering simulated infection risk to 9.5% (versus 47.6% with standard personal ventilation, 38% with an exhaust-design, and 91% with standard room ventilation) and removing up to 94% of airborne pathogens in a 30-minute scenario. The team plans prototyping and testing in larger spaces and real settings like clinics, classrooms, and offices to improve indoor air safety and potentially influence ventilation standards.

WHO Redefines Airborne Pathogens for Disease Transmission
health1 year ago

WHO Redefines Airborne Pathogens for Disease Transmission

The World Health Organization has broadened the definition of airborne pathogens to include respiratory droplets that spread through the air and land on a person, regardless of size, aiming to clarify confusion and improve communication about pathogen transmission. The new report provides terminology for describing airborne pathogens, such as "airborne transmission" and "direct deposition," and emphasizes the need for consensus among scientists. The updated terminology could have improved public health guidance during the Covid-19 pandemic and addresses the flawed understanding of airborne transmission, providing a continuum-based approach to respiratory particle sizes.