What is World Ventil8 Day & why is it important?

Posted

8th November 2022

Research

In honour of the first World Ventil8 Day, our Clinical Specialist, Michael Sanni, reflects on the important aspects of ventilation and summarises relevant articles from GAMA’s blog.

World Ventil8 Day is an initiative which composes of researchers and professionals passionate about raising awareness of ventilation as a crucial part of healthcare and wellbeing of people, with the intention of continuous improvement of indoor air quality. The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasised the importance of ventilation within infection prevention and control (IPC) and is a fundamental pillar of best practice for environmental decontamination alongside surface disinfection and hand hygiene.

Why ventilation is important & the role of air filtration units

In a recent article, our Clinical and Scientific Director, Dr. Phillip Norville, discussed the foundation of what ventilation is and mitigating the risks of SARS-CoV-2. The post emphasised how air is an active medium by which bacteria and viruses spread via aerosols and droplets. It also highlighted how, infectious aerosols above the infectious dose (the amount required to cause an infection), could be present after the discharge of an infectious patient for up to 26 hours, assuming no air changes in the room.

Why taking care of the air makes our offices safer

In a previous blog post, we discussed Dr. Evonne Curran’s review article on how the change in understanding of transmission routes for SARS-CoV-2 from droplets to airborne, influences prevention measures in offices spaces. The article covered new ideas on virus laden particles that are inhaled and/or sprayed on facial mucous membranes. Seeing that droplets, being heavier molecules, can travel up to 2m and aerosols, being lighter and potentially more transmissable, possess a high threat to office workers.

Evonne emphasises the 3Cs which frequently occur in office spaces:

1. Closed spaces.

2. Close proximity.

3. Crowded often.

Result in widespread transmission and increased staff sickness.

Better technology to improve indoor air quality

With the latest UK hospital guidance for SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses, recommending alternative technologies for improving air hygiene, it is important to know that in corroboration with improved healthcare behaviours, better technology serves to improve indoor air quality. Air filtration units usually employ high-efficiency particulate absorbing (HEPA) filters. These filters capture small particles like aerosols and droplets, so are ideal for removing infectious microorganisms from the air.

Recently we shared an article explaining the differences between HEPA filters highlighting the advantage of HEPA 14 filters as they are able to capture 99.995% of particles down to 0.3µm. Making them 10x more effective than other HEPA filters such as HEPA 13.

The importance of ventilation has been emphasised during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Though more evidence is required to clearly demonstrate the benefits of air filters on reducing the risks of transmission of infectious pathogens. Good ventilation is now being widely recognised not only for healthcare facilities but also offices and schools.

GAMA’s air decontamination solution

We are proud to offer an easy-to-use solution for air decontamination needs, with our portable air purification device, Rediair, utilising dual HEPA 14 and carbon filters. As a business, we are determined to promote environmental decontamination best practice within healthcare and will continue to raise awareness of why ventilation matters.

If you’d like to find out more about the benefits of air filtration, visit our Rediair page. Alternatively, explore our latest development in patient isolation on our Rediroom page. Join the conversation on World Ventil8 Day by sharing this article on social media.