HP Aust has announced the release in Australia of the UV Angel, providing low-maintenance protection from airborne and surface pathogens in crowded spaces.
The system works by drawing room air up, away from people, into a sealed UVC chamber, where pathogens are neutralised using ultraviolet light.
Clean air is then returned to the room.
Multiple air changes per hour also reduces surface contamination, as pathogens are less able to settle on objects.
The product works 24/7, independent of HVAC systems and without any labour. The filters only require changing once per year.
Units fit into existing or new ceilings, similar to a traditional ceiling light fixture.
They are already in use in many US states, in schools, universities, McDonalds restaurants and Starbucks cafes. The former Washington Redskins (now the Commanders) installed 600 units in areas of their stadium, including luxury box suites.
UV air cleaners differ to HEPA filters, which draw air through rooms and do not kill pathogens, rather store them in the filter, necessitating specific cleaning, changing, disposal and disinfection protocols.
A peer-reviewed study was published last month in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, on tests on the performance of a UV Angel fixed in-room ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) air cleaner in high-occupancy rooms, and its effect on both airborne and surface contamination.
The study found indoor environments behave “like a snow globe” and very small particles – generated by room occupants breathing, talking, coughing and sneezing – disperse and circulate or settle on room surfaces.
Reduction of airborne pathogens was found to average 73 per cent, while some test areas recorded effectiveness as high as 88 per cent.
Surface hygiene was also significantly improved, with bacterial contamination reduced an average of 55 per cent.
“Having solid data that helps us evaluate in-room air treatment technology for safer indoor environments is a big benefit,” said study co-author Paul Jensen, Ph.D., PE, CIH, and former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) International & Domestic Lead.
“Being able to utilize UVGI room air cleaners to treat contaminated air in occupied rooms, with the resulting reduction in surface contamination, was a very significant finding of the study.”
More information on the product can be found through HP Aust HERE.
