Otis Elevator Airflow Study: COVID-19 Risk Low With Mitigation

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com OTIS ELEVATOR AIRFLOW STUDY: COVID-19 RISK LOW WITH MITIGATION Otis released results of a three-month academic study on how elevator airflow affects potential exposure to COVID-19 on January 27. Led by Dr. Qingyan Chen, the James G. Dwyer professor of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, the study presented a science-based approach to mitigating exposure in elevators. Findings show the significant amount of air exchange in most elevators, combined with simple mitigation strategies (including all riders wearing surgical-style masks and installation of an air-purification system), puts an elevator ride on the lower end of the exposure spectrum. The study concluded that, when simple mitigation measures are in place, a short elevator ride of 1-2 min represents a very low risk of exposure compared with several everyday activities, such as dining outdoors and going to the grocery store. Intensity of exposure is impacted by the level of air exchange or ventilation. By design, elevators have significant air exchange and are required by code to have openings for ventilation. Many elevators also have fans to increase ventilation. “If all passengers properly wear masks, the relative exposure risk drops 50%,” Chen said. “Air purification systems that use NPBI® [Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization from Schaumburg, Illinois-based BSE] can reduce this risk by an additional 20-30%.” Image credit: by Alexey Hulsov for Pixabay To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news Subscribe to the Podcast: iTunes │ Google Play | SoundCloud │ Stitcher │ TuneIn