MT. LAUREL, N.J. — NADCA, the HVAC inspection, cleaning, and restoration association, announced the publication of “Biological Air Quality Considerations for Non-Healthcare, as Built Environments,” a scientific paper developed in partnership with the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC).
The paper, funded by the GBAC, addresses several strategies for improving indoor air quality in facilities and built environments such as schools, restaurants, convention centers, and gyms.
Air quality has become a major focus of cleaning considerations since the introduction of the SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic. This paper is designed to provide the measures a facility should take into consideration to control the spread of infectious agents within their facilities, with a particular concern for those spread through airborne routes. Viruses or other infectious agents that are transmitted through tiny droplets and aerosols are considered to be airborne diseases. SARS-CoV-2, influenza, chicken pox, and measles are all examples of airborne diseases.
NADCA President and Chairman of the Board, Mark Zarzeczny, ASCS, CVI, and NADCA’s Scientific Advisory Board Chair; Dr. Mark Hernandez, PhD, PE., along with a team of scientific and industry peers; contributed to the multi-authored paper.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with the GBAC’s scientific advisory board to develop their first published, peer-reviewed scientific paper,” said Zarzeczny. “The paper addresses airborne diseases, including the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and provides a multitude of science-backed options for improving indoor air quality in non-healthcare settings.”
The paper has been published in the GBAC-TIPS Journal, an open access journal founded by The Infection Prevention Strategy (TIPS) to advance innovations, ideas, and processes that make a difference in global health. The journal aims to provide access to evidence-based science through both peer-reviewed and perspective articles. The paper will also be indexed into Google Scholar and ResearchGate for the global scientific community to reference and cite in future publications.
“It was a privilege for our scientific advisory board to work with NADCA on this multi-authored paper which provides actionable steps to make facilities safer during and beyond the pandemic,” said GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger. “Achieving peer review and publication means that our paper has met standards for quality and importance to global health.”
This comes just before the announcement of NADCA’s own scientific advisory board, which was shared during the recent Annual Meeting & Exposition in Aurora, Colorado. Led by Dr. Hernandez, the advisory board will work alongside NADCA’s scientific committee and Board of Directors to utilize research, science, and advocacy to advance the field.
The “Biological Air Quality Considerations for Non-Healthcare, As Built Environments” peer-reviewed paper is available for download here.
