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Air conditioning systems specialist, mechanical engineer Filiz Pehlivan, made a statement to DHA about the relationship between coronavirus and relative humidity in the air. Stating that the coronavirus can linger in the air like the SARS and MERS viruses, Pehlivan drew attention to the fact that the virus can spread to different locations through ventilation and heating systems. Emphasizing that it is important to protect moisture and provide fresh air in indoor environments, Pehlivan said: “Normally, a certain humidity must be provided in the environments we live in. In fact, we designers know what the relative humidity of the room should be. environment along with temperature. We configure our systems according to our systems and the value given by the standards that we trust is actually 50 percent relative humidity. When you look at it, you see that the most vulnerable value of viruses and bacteria it is 50 percent. That is, the standard and ideal value found is 50 percent, “he said.
‘THE VIRUS STAYS IN THE AIR FOR AT LEAST 3 HOURS’
Noting that droplets of different sizes emerge from the mouth while speaking and that small droplets can hang in the air for hours if the relative humidity is low, Pehlivan said: “If the environment is dry, we mean dry, if there is between 20 and 30 percent relative humidity, these droplets can dry in a much shorter time, in milliseconds and These tiny droplets can remain in the air for hours. Studies show that they can spread to other places by air and even stay in the air for at least 3 hours. If a person carrying a virus entered that environment before you, it would be unfortunate to contract this virus within 3 hours. Ambient relative humidity is important both in terms of reduction of the risk of infection as in terms of reduction of particles that can remain in the air, that is why we say that we define the relative humidity of the environment applying it together with all the other rules s, of course, by attaching it to the vent. and keep it between 60 percent relative humidity and thus reduce the risk of infection, “she said.
‘THE RISK WILL INCREASE 5 LAPS IN THE WINTER MONTHS’
Noting that the winter months are much more dangerous in terms of epidemics, heating systems reduce the relative humidity in closed areas, Pehlivan said:
“In the winter months, while we heat our indoor environments in habitable comfort conditions, we will reduce humidity, that is, we will dry the rooms. But the problem here is the closed areas where epidemics are more frequent. We must take precautions with regard to schools, hospitals, office buildings, shopping centers. I am concerned that most buildings do not have central humidification elements. If this is the case, there will be no humidification facilities and the crowded indoor areas that we enter in winter can be a risk in terms of relative humidity levels. This can cause the infection to spread. “
Pehlivan, who said that they, as engineers, started a campaign by firms to define relative humidity between 40 and 60 percent by the World Health Organization (WHO) in order to reduce the risk of infection, explained how the risk would increase as the relative humidity of the air decreases in the winter months:
“There is a relationship between relative humidity and the risk of infection. The relative humidity where viruses and bacteria are most susceptible is determined to be 50 percent. If you have a risk of infection of 20 units, say 50 percent of relative humidity, in that place, the relative humidity is less than 20 percent. When it falls, that is, if you are in a very dry environment, the risk of contagion increases almost 5 times. That is, the virus stabilizes in values where the relative humidity is very low ”.
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE TO INCREASE THE HUMIDITY RATE?
Mechanical engineer Pehlivan explained the steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of epidemic as follows:
“In central systems, my colleagues will be sensitive, that is, they will be aware that they need to provide 40 to 60 percent humidity in the buildings they operate. Consequently, the humidifier element in their systems will work and function in a If not, steam duct type humidifiers can be added to the systems. But of course it is not a wasted investment, it must be done. What can we do individually in our homes? There are steam humidifiers, they can buy, room type appliances, or simply, if we have less risk, we will keep water in our heaters.
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