HEPA filters of portable air cleaners as a tool for the surveillance of SARS-CoV-2.
Indoor Air
; 32(9): e13109, 2022 09.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2042835
ABSTRACT
Studies about the identification of SARS-CoV-2 in indoor aerosols have been conducted in hospital patient rooms and to a lesser extent in nonhealthcare environments. In these studies, people were already infected with SARS-CoV-2. However, in the present study, we investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in HEPA filters housed in portable air cleaners (PACs) located in places with apparently healthy people to prevent possible outbreaks. A method for detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in HEPA filters was developed and validated. The study was conducted for 13 weeks in three indoor environments school, nursery, and a household of a social health center, all in Ciudad Real, Spain. The environmental monitoring of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 was conducted in HEPA filters and other surfaces of these indoor spaces for a selective screening in asymptomatic population groups. The objective was to limit outbreaks at an early stage. One HEPA filter tested positive in the social health center. After analysis by RT-PCR of SARS-CoV-2 in residents and healthcare workers, one worker tested positive. Therefore, this study provides direct evidence of virus-containing aerosols trapped in HEPA filters and the possibility of using these PACs for environmental monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 while they remove airborne aerosols and trap the virus.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Air Pollution, Indoor
/
Air Filters
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Indoor Air
Journal subject:
Environmental Health
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Ina.13109
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