By now, you are probably aware of the newly released Standard 241 from ASHRAE, it’s first ever standard for “Control of Infectious Aerosols”. This standard, “establishes minimum requirements to reduce the risk of disease transmission by exposure to infectious aerosols in new buildings, existing buildings, and major renovations”. The key driver for the development of Standard 241 was “discussion between ASHRAE and the White House COVID-19 Response Team about the need for new and better IAQ (indoor air quality) standards. ASHRAE was encouraged to take the lead in developing a new standard for control of airborne pathogens.”
At LifeAire Systems’ we are extremely gratified by ASHRAE’s recognition of certain key requirements for any “air cleaning” technology, such as single pass pathogen remediation and rigorous third-party testing under conditions similar to where the devices will be used. Single pass effectiveness and real-world testing have been a cornerstone of the LifeAire technology since its inception.
The standard also establishes the concept of Equivalent Clean Airflow through filtration and/or “air cleaners” to purify the recirculating air within a facility. This reduces the burden of outside air which is very energy inefficient and costly.
Also of note is the call for previously installed air cleaning systems to be required to comply with the testing requirements of this standard after January 1, 2025. Here, LifeAire can play a critical role as our technology is easily installed in both new and retrofit applications to help facilities reach the high air purity requirements of standard 241.
Our entire LifeAire Systems team applauds the efforts of ASHRAE in releasing this new standard and supports their Board’s hope for the standard’s future role in helping to save lives and minimize disruption to society of airborne diseases.
If you would like more information on the details of the standard and LifeAire’s alignment with the provisions outlined within, please contact us to schedule a team discussion at your convenience.