ASHRAE Position on Airborne Infectious Diseases
ASHRAE Position on Airborne Infectious Diseases Receives Support from UltraViolet Devices, Inc.
Valencia, CA, October 6, 2009
In June of this year the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and their Board of Directors approved the release of an official ASHRAE position document entitled Airborne Infectious Diseases. The document expresses the views, supporting documentation, analysis and/or rationale and recommendations by the Society on the topic of airborne infectious diseases.
The document was put together by the Society’s Airborne Infectious Diseases Position Document Committee. The document states that, “Airborne infectious disease transmission can be reduced using dilution ventilation, specific in-room flow regimes, room pressure differentials, personalized and source capture ventilation, filtration and UVGI.” The ASHRAE document goes on to discuss the three general ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) strategies which include “installation into ventilating ducts, irradiation of the upper zones of occupied spaces, and in-room irradiation after one occupant and before the next.”
UltraViolet Devices, Inc., (UVDI), a leading manufacturer of products that utilize advanced UVGI technology supports ASHRAE’s recognition of UVGI’s role in preventing infectious diseases. “UVDI’s cutting edge technology not only protects human health from airborne diseases, but also reduces building energy consumption and maintenance costs,” stated Dave Witham, an active ASHRAE member and Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for UVDI. Paul Cochrane, Public Relations Manager for UVDI reported, “ASHRAE’s recognition of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation’s effectiveness is a major step towards decreasing the occurrence of infectious airborne diseases.”
