A Breath of Fresh Air Indoors

Buildings G and L on the Santa Maria Campus will be getting HVAC upgrades that include built-in air ionization and purification.

As quality and filtration during COVID times has become front and center, the campus has already installed many air purifications systems within the buildings. Now filtration will be a built-in part of the HVAC system for those buildings.

The CDC recommends a layered approach to reduce exposures to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This approach includes using multiple mitigation strategies, including improvements to building ventilation indoors. The concentration of viral particles is often higher than outdoors, where even a light wind can rapidly reduce concentrations. When indoors, ventilation mitigation strategies can help reduce viral particle concentration.

Ionization is the process of using ultrasonic light to grab dirt and particles in an ionic exchange. Within the air stream, ions attach to particles where they combine, become larger and are more easily filtered from the air. This process targets particles, reduces virus and bacteria nearly completely, and removes odors.