To really end the pandemic, we need clean indoor air standards, good ventilation, CO2 monitors and more!
“Air is the new poop”
Covid is airborne! Air is the new poop!
This is a followup to my first real Substack newsletter issue (after an initial test post), Public libraries lending carbon dioxide monitors is a good idea in the fight against Covid-19. Since it appeared so early in the history of this humble newsletter, it didn’t really get that much in the way of views.
What I wrote there about air quality and CO2 monitors is still true, so I won’t repeat it in this post. I also have a post on my blog about CO2 monitors, which covers a lot of ground as well. This post moves beyond the library world and presents more general resources that I hope you all will find useful in your networks.
What’s new since those initial posts? Most significantly, there’s been a few very important developments on the indoor air quality standard/regulation/guideline front with recent standards and drafts from the CDC, ASHRAE and Health Canada.
This issue we have some general resources, followed by some important newer readings on ventilation, air quality and related issues and then after those, some extra fun stuff on schools and libraries and more.
As usual, the bonus for getting to the end of the issue is some music at the end to make your soul shine a little brighter!
General Resources
Map of Public Libraries with lending programs (via CAVI): Library CO2 monitor programs
Sample fact sheet for lending program: Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Monitoring for Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
Sample instruction page: How to Use Your C02 Monitor - Peterborough Public Library
Indoor Air Quality • Ontario Society of Professional Engineers
Building a Corsi-Rosenthal Air Filter Box for the first time by James Smith
We Need a Revolution in Clean Indoor Air: Why it will take re-engineering, not just medicine, to close the door on COVID by Andrew Nikiforuk / The Tyee
Indoor air expert Corsi, now dean of engineering at UC Davis, believes that vaccines and anti-virals are really important. “But this pandemic is not going anywhere until we get serious about lowering the inhalation dose, folks,” he recently tweeted.
“Doing so is not rocket science. It’s technically simple and just a matter of human will.”
Corsi also believes that the pandemic is already changing attitudes about indoor air quality.
“Suddenly, the public and policy-makers are in tune with what happens inside buildings. The public is now learning about ventilation and filtration. There are a lot of people who have never worked in indoor air quality who have been world-class outdoor air pollution researchers, and they’re suddenly really interested in indoor air quality,” Corsi told Chemical and Engineering News earlier this year. …
If pandemics usher in new ages of re-engineered human living, what does COVID invite of us? Nothing less than a revolution in clean indoor air, say experts who have been pointing in that direction for some time.
Among them are atmospheric chemist Kimberly Prather and environmental engineer Linsey Marr, both of whom recognized early that COVID had found a convenient niche in poor air quality in badly ventilated buildings and schools.
That would make sense, given the virus wasn’t being spread by heavy droplets as the medical establishment first believed, but light aerosols that floated through a room like a fog or smoke. In fact schools equipped with good mechanical ventilation can reduce viral transmission by 74 per cent found one recent Italian study.
Intro to Ventilation by Joey Fox / It’s Airborne
Ventilation is the process of moving air into and out of a space and typically refers to supplying outdoor air.
The air quality inside buildings can be poor because of harmful airborne pollutants, which can have negative impacts on the health and comfort of occupants. Indoor pollutant concentrations are often higher than those found outdoors, making it crucial to reduce their concentration to maintain healthy indoor air quality.
The most straightforward way to reduce indoor pollutant concentrations is by exhausting indoor air and replacing it with outdoor air. However, this approach can be problematic if outdoor air is heavily polluted. In such cases, filtration can be used to address outdoor air pollution, but it is only effective in removing particulate matter. Ultraviolet (UV) light can help eliminate microbes, but it is not effective against all indoor air pollutants.
Intro to CO2 Monitoring by Joey Fox / It’s Airborne
CO2, on the other hand, is generated by all people and combustion reactions, and is removed through ventilation or sorbent-based removal systems. Infectious aerosols can be removed by various means, such as ventilation, filtration, UV light, natural decay, or deposition (landing on surfaces).
Here’s how infectious aerosols and CO2 are related:
CO2 generation increases with more people, and so does the risk of having an infectious person present.
CO2 and infectious aerosol generation both increase with higher activity level.
CO2 and infectious aerosol concentration both increase with poor ventilation.
…
ASHRAE’s position is that “all else being equal, higher CO2 concentrations correspond to lower outdoor air ventilation rates and the potential for an increased risk of airborne transmission” while acknowledging many of the limitations stated here.
Therefore, the best use of CO2 monitoring is to ensure that ventilation is functioning properly, as ventilation is the main method used to ensure adequate air quality. Monitoring CO2 levels can be a helpful tool in an overall strategy to ensure a healthy indoor environment.
Coronavirus Daily: Carbon-Dioxide Monitors Can Track Covid Risk by Emma Court / Bloomberg
Over the past month I have been carrying around a palm-sized, $150 carbon-dioxide monitor to assess how risky spaces are during the latest omicron surge.
I took the device with me to a family Passover seder in Illinois, wine tastings in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
And I learned that, most of the time, the places I went were poorly ventilated.
Carbon-dioxide monitors can assess how Covid-risky a space is because they help tell you whether you’re breathing in clean air. They measure the concentration of carbon dioxide, which people exhale when they breathe, along with other things like, potentially, virus particles. The more well-ventilated a space, the lower the reading on my monitor's screen — meaning not only less carbon dioxide but also less of the stuff like Covid that might make people sick.
New CDC Standards of Air Hygiene by John Snow Project Editorial / John Snow Project
Last week, the CDC also recommended new standards for ventilation and filtration in public buildings. The 7-point plan says:
Aim for 5
Aim to deliver 5 or more air changes per hour (ACH) of clean air to rooms in your building. This will help reduce the number of viral particles in the air. You may need to use a combination of ventilation (air supply, filtration, and air treatment) strategies to reach this target.Upgrade filters
Use filters rated MERV-13 or higher, when possible. Using higher-rated filters in your heating or air conditioning system can remove more germs in the air than lower-rated filters.Turn your HVAC system "ON"
Set your ventilation system to circulate more air when people are in the building. You can do this by setting the thermostat’s fan control to the "ON" position instead of "AUTO." This will make the fan operate continuously but can increase fan energy use, so limit use to when needed.Add fresh air
Bring more clean outdoor air into spaces by opening windows and doors and using exhaust fans. Even small openings can help.Use air cleaners
Air cleaners (also known as air purifiers) filter air with high-efficiency filters that remove germs from the air. Choose one that’s the right size for your space.Install UV air treatment systems
UV air treatment systems can kill germs in the air. They can also provide a high level of effective air changes per hour while using little energy.Use portable carbon dioxide (CO2) monitors
A portable CO2 monitor can help you determine how stale or fresh the air is in rooms. Readings above 800 parts per million (ppm) suggest that you may need to bring more fresh, outdoor air into the space.
Covid could do for ventilation what cholera did for cleaner water systems by Mary Hui / QZ
Of course, quality indoor air isn’t just a question of covid. Other airborne contaminants like fine particulate matter—generated through cooking or chemicals—and poisonous gases like nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde can also negatively impact health and comfort. The US government currently has no established standard for regulating indoor levels of such particulate matter.
But done right, covid could serve as the same kind of catalyst for better indoor air as cholera did for better sewage and cleaner water in the 19th century. “We might be on the verge of an indoor air quality revolution, and it could be among the most important public health victories of the 21st century,” Joseph Allen, an associate professor at Harvard’s school of public health and director of the university’s Healthy Buildings program, wrote in a recent essay.
B.C. Greens call for clean air in public spaces / BC Green Party
Sonia Furstenau, Leader of the B.C. Greens and MLA for Cowichan Valley, is calling on the BC NDP to adopt clean air standards for indoor public spaces.
“Places like schools, hospitals, public transit, community centres, and libraries should be safe places to congregate,” said MLA Furstenau. “Clean air is incredibly important in preventing the transmission of disease and stopping the harms that come from air pollution, including wildfire smoke.
“Poor indoor air quality can lead to headaches, shortness of breath, dizziness and nausea. Even worse, COVID-19 and wildfire smoke are shown to have damaging and lasting impacts on heart health.
“We know that one in ten people may develop long-COVID and the damaging vascular and psychological impacts from it. After the events of the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing wildfire seasons, it’s clear that now is the time to create standards for clean and safe indoor air.”
You can make a DIY air purifier as effective as the costly ones for way less by Allison Stephen / Daily Hive
If you want to take things up a notch, however, the Corsi-Rosenthal box has to be the gold standard when it comes to DIY air purifiers. These became popular during the COVID-19 pandemic and use four air filters instead of just one.
They are equally easy to assemble; start with a piece of cardboard as the base, then construct your box from filters, positioning your box fan at the top to produce tons of fresh air.
Fighting for air filters in schools showed me why we need an unfiltered public health office by / CBC News
When there are different points of view and complicated evidence, the ability to hear directly and fully from experts is paramount.
Politicians and trustees still make the decisions, but let us hire the right people and give them the independence to inform the public. There is a larger debate on what we want from our public health experts, but let us start with the premise that these experts should be transparent in their recommendations and reasoning.
On the topic of HEPA filters, there was no clear, public statement from the office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) of Alberta on whether air filtration could be done properly and effectively. In contrast, the federal Public Health Agency of Canada included air filtration, citing ASHRAE, in its public recommendations and infographics.
It was easy for some school leaders to delay action when there was a lack of clear guidance from higher-level officials. The lack of a clear position from the CMOH's office made it hard for our group of parents to advocate for HEPA filters. That expertise vacuum was a barrier.
Associations between illness-related absences and ventilation and indoor PM2.5 in elementary schools of the Midwestern United States by Shihan Deng, Josephine Lau, Zhihao Wang, Pawel Wargocki / Environment International
The indoor environmental data of 144 classrooms in 31 schools in the Midwestern United States were collected along with the related demographic information and absenteeism data. Associations between indoor environmental data and demographic information were made. Results showed that classroom ventilation rates and indoor PM2.5 levels were significantly associated with illness-related absences. Every 1 L/s per person increase in ventilation rate and every additional 1 μg/m3 of indoor PM2.5 were associated with a 5.59 decrease and a 7.37 increase in days with absences per year. This corresponds to a 0.15% increase and a 0.19% decrease in the annual daily attendance rate. These results may have significant socioeconomic implications and provide some justification for upgrading schools with solutions that benefit child health and learning. These upgrades might provide additional benefits during periods with increased risk for infectious diseases transmitted through the air by virus-laden aerosols.
Posts on Air Quality & CO2 Monitors in Schools and Libraries
CO2 in Ontario Schools (map with crowdsourced data on CO2 readings in Ontario schools)
Concerned about air quality at home? Halifax libraries now loaning out CO2 monitors | CBC News
WRDSB approves CO2 monitoring program as parents voice concerns over air purifier use | CTV News
'I'm very upset': Waterloo parent takes issue with handling of air filter units in school | CTV News
Government funds mandatory air purifiers at schools (South Korea)
General Posts on Air Quality & Ventilation
3M scientists: This Corsi-Rosenthal box movement is legit / 3M
Efficacy of Do-It-Yourself air filtration units in reducing exposure to simulated respiratory aerosols / Building and Environment
Air Distribution — Fans, Personal HEPA Filters, Plexiglass & Short Range Transmission
CDC issues building ventilation guidance to guard against respiratory infections | CIDRAP
Opinion | CDC’s new indoor air guidelines are a monumental victory for health - The Washington Post
Researchers call for national governments to mandate real-time indoor air quality monitoring
Application of HEPA filter devices for air cleaning in healthcare spaces: guidance and standards
Paris prosecutors open criminal inquiry into air quality on Métro
Warren Haynes’s Soulshine is one of my favourite songs of all time. Interestingly, however, the first recording of the song wasn’t by any of Haynes’s bands -- Gov't Mule or The Allman Brothers -- but rather by blues singer and guitarist Larry McCray. Haynes offered the song to McCray after Gregg Allman decided not to record it with the Allman’s. Listen to McCray’s version and you’ll understand why Gregg changed his mind! Luckily I’ve heard it performed by both Larry McCray and Gov’t Mule!