Hospital grade air purifiers are effectively inconspicuous devices, and they purify the air in hospital waiting rooms, hallways, operating rooms, and wards. By so doing, they aid ventilation and reduce the spread of diseases from healthy people inhaling or contacting germs and other contaminants that are released into the air by the immuno-compromised or the sick.
Hospital grade air purifiers are very common in hospitals, and this is for a reason. Hospital air is known to contain a high concentration of contaminants and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), and with patients, doctors, visitors, other workers, etc., moving through the hallways, it has become a paramount necessity for hospitals to install hospital-grade air purifiers to reduce disease spread and other health implications that can be caused by these contaminants and VOCs.
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Volatile Organic Compounds and Hospital Grade Air Purifiers
Volatile Organic Compounds are usually liquid materials that can change form and evaporate into the air. Since they are common hospital materials, they may seem like chemicals that are inherent to the atmosphere. However, a high concentration of these chemicals in a space with inadequate ventilation could lead to the creation of compounds like butane and other anesthetic gases. It is for the specific purpose of collecting these chemicals from the air and filtering them that hospital-grade air purifiers become important.
- Examples of VOCs that are common to hospital environments are;
- Alcohol: this is a liquid chemical used in hospitals as solvents and disinfectants,
- Formaldehyde: this can be found in plastic and lacquers,
- Acetone: this chemical can be found in furniture polish, and wall paint,
- Ethanol: This chemical is used in cleaning glass containers, and in hospitals, it is found in cleaning solvents and detergents,
- Dichloromethane: this is found in aerosol and paint removers.
Places in the hospital where air purifiers should be Installed
Hospital Wards
Hospital wards can be contaminated with viruses and bacteria that could cause an asthmatic reaction. Depending on the equipment installed in the wards, and the types of gasses they emit, there could be events where they contain fumes and some amounts of carbon dioxide. With the risks of transmission of disease and contamination, hospital wards must have hospital-grade air purifiers installed. These wards include burn units, hospital wards, pediatrics, geriatrics, TB isolation wards, etc. Having a hospital-grade air purifier improves hospital ventilation and ensures that the hospital facility maintains a clean atmosphere with untainted airflow. These devices can also protect respiratory health by removing contaminants in form of mold spores before they get inhaled by patients.
Operating Theatres and ICU
A study of hospitals in China found a reduction in healthcare infections in hospitals where air purifiers were being used.[1] Patients coming out of surgery are usually at a high risk of infection from particles flying around the operating theatre or the ICU. However, with hospital-grade air purifiers installed and the air purified of all contaminants, it would become less likely for them to be reduced as the study cited above shows.
Hallways and Waiting rooms
It is typically demanded that at least 20% of hospital air should be fresh air from outside. However, this fresh air could contain germs and contaminants. Considering these risks, it is therefore important to install hospital-grade air purifiers in corridors and waiting rooms are essential for ridding the atmosphere of these contaminants before they get inhaled by patients and cause further health complications.
Sick Building Syndrome
Hospital grade air purifier devices are also useful in preventing what is known as Sick building syndrome (SBS.) Sick building syndrome is usually a result of poor ventilation and poor indoor air quality. As such, the syndrome and can be prevented by installing the right hospital-grade air purifier to remove viruses, bacteria, enzymes, and other particles from the air, and improving indoor air quality that may be tainted by the exhaust, moisture, and concentration of harmful chemicals.
Categories of Hospital Grade Air Purifiers
Hospital-grade air purifiers can be categorized by size as well as the budget of the person trying to purchase them. When buying hospital-grade air purifiers, factors like the space available for accommodating the devices, and the funds available for the purchase should be considered. Below are the several categories of Hospital-grade air purifiers that we have.
Budget-friendly
This air filter is very portable and easy to install. It is often hung on walls in hallways, waiting rooms, and wards. As the name suggests it is also budget-friendly and it is suitable for hospitals that have an HVAC system already installed.
Middle-priced
These categories of air filters are larger than their budget-friendly counterparts and are also more quality. These air filter makes use of HEPA filters and allows for quite effective airflow. It uses activated carbon and zeolite in removing fumes, gases, and odors from over 700 feet of its environment. The middle-priced air purifier also runs silently, and with its build, it retains the capacity to trap more particles.
Step-Up Price
These hospital grade air purifiers take the cake in terms of quality and can purify the air of rooms with an area over 1000 square feet. They are the largest purifiers one can find, and they are the most suitable large wards or hospital halls. Equipped with HEPA filters, they are also capable of filtering the finest particles, and step-up filters are best installed in hospital wards that hold patients suffering from asthma or allergies.
What is HEPA filtration?
HEPA stands for high-efficiency particulate air. HEPA filters are mechanical filters that work by pushing collected air through a mesh while trapping fine particles, fumes, and smoke. The most effective air purifiers are determined by their ability to filter the finest particles, and as discovered by a NASA study[2], HEPA filtration is capable of filtering particles that measure down to 0.01 microns, making it the most effective yet known with most viruses and particles measuring between 0.06 – 0.14 microns, the most effective hospital-grade air purifiers should be equipped with HEPA filters.
Sources:
[1] Zhing, Bingli et al. Analysis of Air Purification Methods in Operating Rooms of Chinese Hospitals. February 1, 2020. Bio Med Research International. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7016480/
[2] Perry, J.L. Submicron and Nanoparticulate Matter Removal by HEPA-Rated Media Filters and Packed Beds of Granular Materials. June 5, 2017. NASA Technical Memorandum. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20170005166
