Factors affecting aerosol SARS-CoV-2 transmission via HVAC systems; a modeling study.

The role of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is unclear. To address this gap, we simulated the release of SARS-CoV-2 in a multistory office building and three social gathering settings (bar/restaurant, nightclub, wedding venue) using a well-...

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Autores principales:	Zachary J Cotman, Michael J Bowden, Barrett P Richter, Joseph H Phelps, Christopher J Dibble
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021
Materias:	Biology (General) QH301-705.5
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/c3b2751b5a77498ba5e842c2f39eb6c4
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:c3b2751b5a77498ba5e842c2f39eb6c42021-12-02T19:57:29ZFactors affecting aerosol SARS-CoV-2 transmission via HVAC systems; a modeling study.1553-734X1553-735810.1371/journal.pcbi.1009474https://doaj.org/article/c3b2751b5a77498ba5e842c2f39eb6c42021-10-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009474https://doaj.org/toc/1553-734Xhttps://doaj.org/toc/1553-7358The role of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is unclear. To address this gap, we simulated the release of SARS-CoV-2 in a multistory office building and three social gathering settings (bar/restaurant, nightclub, wedding venue) using a well-mixed, multi-zone building model similar to those used by Wells, Riley, and others. We varied key factors of HVAC systems, such as the Air Changes Per Hour rate (ACH), Fraction of Outside Air (FOA), and Minimum Efficiency Reporting Values (MERV) to examine their effect on viral transmission, and additionally simulated the protective effects of in-unit ultraviolet light decontamination (UVC) and separate in-room air filtration. In all building types, increasing the ACH reduced simulated infections, and the effects were seen even with low aerosol emission rates. However, the benefits of increasing the fraction of outside air and filter efficiency rating were greatest when the aerosol emission rate was high. UVC filtration improved the performance of typical HVAC systems. In-room filtration in an office setting similarly reduced overall infections but worked better when placed in every room. Overall, we found little evidence that HVAC systems facilitate SARS-CoV-2 transmission; most infections in the simulated office occurred near the emission source, with some infections in individuals temporarily visiting the release zone. HVAC systems only increased infections in one scenario involving a marginal increase in airflow in a poorly ventilated space, which slightly increased the likelihood of transmission outside the release zone. We found that improving air circulation rates, increasing filter MERV rating, increasing the fraction of outside air, and applying UVC radiation and in-room filtration may reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission indoors. However, these mitigation measures are unlikely to provide a protective benefit unless SARS-CoV-2 aerosol emission rates are high (>1,000 Plaque-forming units (PFU) / min).Zachary J CotmanMichael J BowdenBarrett P RichterJoseph H PhelpsChristopher J DibblePublic Library of Science (PLoS)articleBiology (General)QH301-705.5ENPLoS Computational Biology, Vol 17, Iss 10, p e1009474 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Biology (General) QH301-705.5
spellingShingle	Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Zachary J Cotman Michael J Bowden Barrett P Richter Joseph H Phelps Christopher J Dibble Factors affecting aerosol SARS-CoV-2 transmission via HVAC systems; a modeling study.
description	The role of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is unclear. To address this gap, we simulated the release of SARS-CoV-2 in a multistory office building and three social gathering settings (bar/restaurant, nightclub, wedding venue) using a well-mixed, multi-zone building model similar to those used by Wells, Riley, and others. We varied key factors of HVAC systems, such as the Air Changes Per Hour rate (ACH), Fraction of Outside Air (FOA), and Minimum Efficiency Reporting Values (MERV) to examine their effect on viral transmission, and additionally simulated the protective effects of in-unit ultraviolet light decontamination (UVC) and separate in-room air filtration. In all building types, increasing the ACH reduced simulated infections, and the effects were seen even with low aerosol emission rates. However, the benefits of increasing the fraction of outside air and filter efficiency rating were greatest when the aerosol emission rate was high. UVC filtration improved the performance of typical HVAC systems. In-room filtration in an office setting similarly reduced overall infections but worked better when placed in every room. Overall, we found little evidence that HVAC systems facilitate SARS-CoV-2 transmission; most infections in the simulated office occurred near the emission source, with some infections in individuals temporarily visiting the release zone. HVAC systems only increased infections in one scenario involving a marginal increase in airflow in a poorly ventilated space, which slightly increased the likelihood of transmission outside the release zone. We found that improving air circulation rates, increasing filter MERV rating, increasing the fraction of outside air, and applying UVC radiation and in-room filtration may reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission indoors. However, these mitigation measures are unlikely to provide a protective benefit unless SARS-CoV-2 aerosol emission rates are high (>1,000 Plaque-forming units (PFU) / min).
format	article
author	Zachary J Cotman Michael J Bowden Barrett P Richter Joseph H Phelps Christopher J Dibble
author_facet	Zachary J Cotman Michael J Bowden Barrett P Richter Joseph H Phelps Christopher J Dibble
author_sort	Zachary J Cotman
title	Factors affecting aerosol SARS-CoV-2 transmission via HVAC systems; a modeling study.
title_short	Factors affecting aerosol SARS-CoV-2 transmission via HVAC systems; a modeling study.
title_full	Factors affecting aerosol SARS-CoV-2 transmission via HVAC systems; a modeling study.
title_fullStr	Factors affecting aerosol SARS-CoV-2 transmission via HVAC systems; a modeling study.
title_full_unstemmed	Factors affecting aerosol SARS-CoV-2 transmission via HVAC systems; a modeling study.
title_sort	factors affecting aerosol sars-cov-2 transmission via hvac systems; a modeling study.
publisher	Public Library of Science (PLoS)
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/c3b2751b5a77498ba5e842c2f39eb6c4
work_keys_str_mv	AT zacharyjcotman factorsaffectingaerosolsarscov2transmissionviahvacsystemsamodelingstudy AT michaeljbowden factorsaffectingaerosolsarscov2transmissionviahvacsystemsamodelingstudy AT barrettprichter factorsaffectingaerosolsarscov2transmissionviahvacsystemsamodelingstudy AT josephhphelps factorsaffectingaerosolsarscov2transmissionviahvacsystemsamodelingstudy AT christopherjdibble factorsaffectingaerosolsarscov2transmissionviahvacsystemsamodelingstudy
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Factors affecting aerosol SARS-CoV-2 transmission via HVAC systems; a modeling study.

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