I do believe that we in the specialist building systems hygiene industry are riding a wave now. It has been powered by the focus on indoor air quality which Covid-19 has brought. The important thing is to keep that understanding going after this pandemic subsides
Professor Lidia Morawska’s call for a paradigm shift in combating airborne pathogens through improved ventilation has been widely picked up in non-specialist media. Mainstream media such as the BBC reported it, and other general media
The fundamental idea is that that we can improve health by improving ventilation, like we improved health by improving water sanitation in the 19th century.
“In the 21st century we need to establish the foundations to ensure that the air in our buildings is clean with a significantly reduced pathogen count, contributing to the building occupants’ health, just as we expect for the water coming out of our taps.”
One of the UK’s star aerosol scientists is Professor Cath Noakes. She was a leading signatory of the July 2020 letter which got the WHO to pivot on airborne transmission of Covid-19.
She has emphasized that occupants need to understand that mechanically ventilated buildings are usually well ventilated – even if you “can’t open the windows”.
She has also warned that current viral mitigation must not be exploited by the ‘snake-oil salesmen’. She’s right: there is a danger that in countering over-selling ‘the baby gets thrown out with the bath water’.
We have enough with simple messages such as Build it tight, ventilate right & Keep it Clean