COVID-19: Evaluating Aerosol Treatment Technologies Webinar
About the Webinar
Originally presented February 9, 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the role that airborne transmission can play in the spread of disease. Accordingly, there is increased interest in technologies that claim to reduce or eliminate virus transmission via aerosols in occupied indoor spaces, such as in schools, transit systems, and office buildings. Current limitations on data availability and test design make it challenging to compare how effective different types of technologies will be at reducing the risk of exposure to airborne pathogens in real-world settings.
EPA researchers have been evaluating the efficacy of different types of aerosol treatment technologies using a standardized, large-scale testing approach, which facilitates cross-technology comparisons and generates results that are translatable to real-world settings. This webinar will provide an overview of the research methodology and present results from evaluating different types of air treatment devices (bipolar ionization and photocatalytic), an antimicrobial air treatment, and electrostatic filters.
About the Presenters
Dr. Lukas Oudejans is a Research Physical Scientist with ORD’s Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response. Over the past thirteen years, he has gained vast experience in homeland security programs related to research, development and evaluation of innovative technologies for the decontamination of materials contaminated with chemical or biological agents. Currently, he is leading research efforts to assess alternative disinfection technologies like UV light, ozone and steam to clean surfaces contaminated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Dr. Oudejans holds a Ph.D. in Experimental Physics from Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Dr. Katherine Ratliff is a Physical Scientist in ORD’s Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response. Her current research is focused on evaluating the efficacy of different decontamination practices and quantifying contaminant transport processes in the environment. She uses and develops modeling tools that are informed by lab and field studies. Dr. Ratliff received her B.A. in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Vanderbilt University and a Ph.D. in Earth and Ocean Sciences from Duke University.