In-Place Testing of In-Duct Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation

Details

• Personal Author:
  Brickner PW ; First MW ; Rudnick SN ; Vincent RL
• Description:
  This paper reports results from a field study designed to demonstrate a method for evaluating a building's in-duct ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) system using naturally occurring airborne microorganisms and to evaluate its potential effectiveness against selected airborne microorganisms. Forty-eight 64 in. (1.63 m) long ultraviolet germicidal lamps were installed perpendicular to airflow and upstream of the cooling coils in a heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system for a retail space in a large New York City office building. A portable in-duct UVGI apparatus was used to benchmark ultraviolet susceptibility of naturally occurring airborne microorganisms. Benchmarking was accomplished by measuring the portable apparatus's efficiency for inactivating UVGI-resistant microorganisms in the laboratory at various operating conditions. Inactivation efficiency for both the in-duct UVGI-equipped HVAC system and portable in-duct UVGI apparatus were then measured simultaneously using naturally occurring microorganisms. If the UVGI-equipped HVAC system had higher inactivation efficiency than the portable in-duct UVGI apparatus, then the UVGI-equipped HVAC system's efficiency for inactivating the UVGI-resistant microorganisms used in the laboratory would be expected to be higher than the efficiency of the portable in-duct UVGI apparatus. Based on the results for the tested UVGI-equipped HVAC system, the expected efficiency was at least 88% for Bacillus subtilis var. niger spores, a common surrogate for Bacillus anthracis spores. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Microbiology Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety
• Keywords:
  Airborne Particulates Airflow Bacteria Germ Cells Microorganisms Office Environments Ultraviolet Radiation
• ISSN:
  1078-9669
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; New York ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  15
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20059342
• Citation:
  HVACR Res 2009 May; 15(3):525-535
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2009
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard School of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  HVAC & R Research
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:86b71d197db718bb1dbc1e3d1feea62e5720860fb7dc60bda092d27d0f136105a614adcbe3a1e988fd9efbf93293b1c5e3d1ac4b2880755f29b79c0e8ad57ef0
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223606/cdc_223606_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 646.95 KB ]