E3 Excellence in Pandemic Response and Enterprise Solutions co-innovation project, which runs under IAQe, has been working hard on its international hospital pilot lately. Last week a group of our experts visited Romania *Matei Bals infection hospital in the middle of February to start the first on site indoor air measurement campaign and interventions. Also the IAQe Coordinator Jari Erkkilä visited the premises. During these studies the air in selected rooms in the hospital were first measured then purified and then measured again.
This research is very interesting for E3 but also for Matei Bals, because the hospital doesn’t have any mechanical air conditioning. Later we can see what happens when we purify the air in the most challenging conditions. The results will most likely be very interesting and educational too.
Already from last weeks intervention we can see the difference.
Many people, like the hospital director Dr. Cátálin Apostolescu and the technical manager Daniela Covaci, from Matei Bals participated during our visit. The E3 is also collaborating with the Matei Bals laboratory for example to analyse the microbe samples.
The air purifiers from the E3 companies Air0 and Inspector Sec (ISEC) were installed on the hospital premises in the COVID department and waiting room. Devices from SmartWatcher are measuring the indoor air all around the year.
During last week we also did an intensive indoor air measurement campaign on the same premises with devices from VTT and Tampere University. Granlund, an expert company in hospital planning, is participating in the study by bringing an understanding of the requirements of a modern hospital.
Next, the results of intensive measurements are being analysed and the impact of the air purifiers, which are kept on site for the rest of this year, are being monitored distantly online.
A new intensive indoor air measurement campaign will be is performed again this spring. Also, air purifiers from Lifa Air will be installed after the summer.
The people visiting Romania from the E3 project were the pilot’s leader Piia Sormunen (Tampere University & Granlund), Anni Luoto, 3D imaging and installing the air purifiers (Granlund), Ville Silvonen, aerosol expert, research and collecting microbes (Tampere University), Mohamed Elsayed, 3D imaging, measurements (Tampere University) and the project coordinator Jari Erkkilä (Tamlink). They all stayed safe during the visit by wearing the Lifa Air FFP respirators.
*National Institute of Infectious Diseases "Prof. Dr. Matei Balș" Originally published at E3 Pandemic Response website.
E3 Pandemic Response and Enterprise Solutions is a 2,5-year joint development project financed by Business Finland and the participating companies, the goal of which is to study the routes of spread of viruses and how the various functions of society can be kept functional despite pandemics.
A total of 22 Finnish companies and seven research institutes are involved in the multidisciplinary project jointly built by CleverHealth Network and IAQe indoor air ecosystems and is coordinated by Tamlink and Spinverse.
In this international pilot there are involved for now Granlund, Inspector SEC, Air0, Lifa Air, SmartWatcher, Tampere University, VTT and Finnish Meterological Institute. Contacts to Matei Bals were made with the help of Embassy of Finland in Bucharest, Romania.
