With everything going on in the world today, we know we need to wash our hands, keep our distance from people, and disinfect our homes and places of work. However, we must not overlook the significance of cleaning HVAC and air duct systems. These systems are analogous to the building’s or home’s respiratory system. Contact (both direct and indirect), transfer by big droplets, and inhalation of airborne particles harboring infected bacteria are all ways of infectious disease transmission.
Transmission of Disease through HVAC Systems
The HVAC professional’s approach in minimizing disease transmission is largely focused on illnesses transmitted by airborne particles, such as COVID-19. When an epidemic develops and someone becomes sick with the disease, continued disease transmission through the HVAC system must be addressed. Not only does transmission occur through direct touch or big droplets, but also through the air. HVAC systems contribute considerably more to disease transmission and transmission risk reduction than the ordinary person thinks. One of the primary reasons for this is because it is simple to overlook.
We take temperature control for granted in today’s contemporary culture since most of us have always had it in our homes, places of work, and locations we visit. This “out of sight, out of mind” effect might cause us to overlook an essential aspect of our facilities and health.
Ventilation is used as a key infectious disease control technique in hospitals, healthcare institutions, and other sensitive facilities through diluting of air in the room around a source and elimination of infectious organisms. HVAC system hygiene companies that are accredited by the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) are skilled, experienced, and understand how to clean, disinfect, and decrease the risk of disease transmission.
According to the CDC and what they presently know about COVID-19, the disease is spread through close contact between individuals and by respiratory droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes. When a person coughs or sneezes, not only do big droplets form that can be seen with the naked eye but also micro-droplets form. These micro-droplets can float in the air or be cycled by an HVAC system.
At the time of writing, medical specialists were uncertain of the virus’s precise lifespan outside of the human body, but research published in the New England Journal of Medicine discovered that the virus that causes COVID-19 may survive on surfaces and in aerosols for several hours to days. This, along with the EPA’s understanding that interior air may be more than 10 times more polluted than outside air, supports the argument that even if we are under self- or mandated isolation during this time, we may still be in danger. Not only should visible surfaces be sanitized, but so should HVAC/duct systems.
If you have any issues, please call Luxe Ducts or fill out our contact form, and we would be delighted to discuss your problems and what we can do to assist you.
