An international group of 40 experts in virology, medicine, aerosols, air quality and ventilation from 14 countries have signed an article in the journal Science in which they call for improving the regulation of ventilation to combat airborne diseases such as covid- 19. The signatories call for standards to be changed or developed to regulate ventilation on the same scale as were applied in the 19th and 20th centuries to eliminate pathogens from drinking water and food.
The text is led by scientist Lidia Morawska, from the Queensland University of Technology in Australia, and has the participation of two Spanish researchers, Xavier Querol, from the Institute for Environmental Assessment and Water Research of the CSIC (IDAEA-CSIC), and José Luis Jimenez from the University of Colorado (USA). The signatories call for a “paradigm shift” in the fight against airborne pathogens. Researchers demand universal recognition that infections can be prevented by improving indoor ventilation systems.
Morawska L., Allen J., Bahnfleth W., et al. Prevention of community respiratory infection transmission: a new era must start now. Science, 372, 6543, pp. 689-691. DOI: 10.1126/science.abg2025
IDAEA-CSIC Communication
