Studying the Double Paradox in Air Conditioning at Indian Airports for Airborne Infection Prevention and Filtration of Harmful Suspended Particulate Matter

Abstract

Background Airports are hubs of diverse human interactions. During pandemics, they may serve as centers for the spread of airborne infection. Appropriate methods for the prevention of the spread of airborne infections must be integrated into the air conditioning systems of airports. Along with ultraviolet germicidal irradiation and other sanitization methods, dilution ventilation can be the easiest and most available method for the prevention of airborne infection, which means the intake of outside air into the indoors, which flushes out the aerosolized droplets containing pathogens. Though this process has been adopted by multiple buildings in reaction to the pandemic, it may present the challenge of intake of high concentration of suspended particulate matter in the intake air, a major air pollutant in developing countries, which may enter through the air conditioning systems. Appropriate filtration is necessary so that along with dilution ventilation for airborne disease prevention, the risk of suspended particulate matter of diameter 2.5 micron or PM 2.5 induced lung issues is also reduced. Methodology The Right to Information Act, 2005, was used to file applications for information on the details of the air conditioning systems in Indian airports. The 58 airports in the study were also listed according to the list of cities that fall under the criteria for non-attainment of good air quality standards. Results Out of 58 airports considered, 27 fell in the ‘non-attainment’ of good air quality list. On appraisal of filter systems, it was found that 23 had an intake of fresh air but only five had filters with a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 10 and above in their air conditioning systems, as is recommended for filtration of suspended particulate matter. Conclusion It can be concluded that most airports did not have the appropriate filter required for filtering PM 2.5 , which is a major pollutant in Indian cities. In light of coronavirus disease 2019, where dilution ventilation through the intake of outdoor air is suggested, it may also lead to the entry of air with high particulate matter into the indoors.

Compliance with the provisions related to higher educational institutes of anti-tobacco/smoking law by institutes of national importance in India.

“…A pertinent factor making this study unique is that it has been performed using India's transparency lay, i.e., the Right to Information Act, 2005 [16], which ensures that the information is most reliable. This has been used in previous studies from other government institutions in India [17][18][19]. This is because the information has been provided by the educational institutions themselves, that too by a senior ranking officer of the institution responsible for the actual implementation, and is provided under seal and signature of the educational institution.…”

Compliance With Higher Education-Related Tobacco Control Law Provisions by Institutions of National Importance in India

“…A pertinent factor making this study unique is that it has been performed using India's transparency law, i.e., the Right to Information Act of 2005, which ensures that the information is most reliable [18]. This has been used in previous studies from other government institutions in India [19][20][21]. The information is reliable because it has been provided by the educational institutions themselves, that too by a senior ranking officer of the institution responsible for the actual implementation, and is provided under seal and signature of the educational institution.…”

Public Health Issue of Indoor Dilution Ventilation for Disease Prevention Versus PM2.5 in Intake Air in Auditoriums of Premier Engineering Institutes in India

“…Another important point is how India is uniquely placed in this situation and has 132 cities with non-attainment of the prescribed ambient air quality measures, with particulate matter being the biggest threat [ 38 ]. The criteria for inclusion in the non-attainment list of studies included five-year monitoring for ambient air, where if there is an excess of suspended particulate matter (or nitrogen dioxide) as per the National Ambient Air Quality Standards [ 31 , 42 , 43 ]. Of our list of 19 auditoriums, 12 were located in cities that were part of the non-attainment list.…”

“…The author has conducted another study along the same lines with other important Indian buildings [ 30 ]. This study has also been done for Indian airport buildings [ 31 ].…”