Facemask Efficacy: Reducing Inhalational Exposure
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Over the past three years, since the rise of COVID and its many variants, EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) has conducted a wide array of environmental public health research aimed to better understand COVID transmission, methods for protection and prevention from COVID transmission, and strategies for monitoring trends in prevalence of COVID within communities. This session, which is part of a complementing series of research conducted at EPA on SARS-CoV-2, focuses on the distribution of contaminated particles, cleaning indoor air, and personal protection strategies. Research will be presented on aerosol spray in the workplace, indoor air cleaning (HEPA filtering, UV treatment), and facemask effectiveness and facial structure. The first presentation will discuss Aerosol Computational Fluid Dynamic Modeling: Informing Workspace Health and Safety. EPA researchers studied indoor air pathways to determine how exhaled aerosols spread over distance in an office environment, estimates of a baseline level of exposure, and the effectiveness of practical office modifications that might reduce viral exposure. This research informs decision-making about how to effectively protect employees in an open office workspace using practical strategies. A second presentation will provide findings of a study looking at the influence of facemask type and facial structure on effectiveness of a facemask to filter aerosol particles. EPA-ORD examined the fit, effectiveness, and reusability of a range of face coverings and learned how different types of masks perform. The research has informed partners and the public about which type of face coverings have the greatest potential to reduce transmission of COVID. The third presentation will provide findings of research on the cleaning and treatment of indoor air using HEPA filtration, UV treatment, and DIY air cleaners. There are an increasing number of technologies marketed for reducing concentrations of infectious aerosols, but it can be challenging to predict how well they perform in different settings. ORD has been conducting research in a large-scale bioaerosol test chamber to evaluate the effectiveness of these technologies under conditions that are more translatable to real-world conditions.