American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Aug 2015
Institutional Tuberculosis Transmission: Controlled Trial of Upper Room Ultraviolet Air Disinfection - A Basis for New Dosing Guidelines.
Transmission is driving the global tuberculosis epidemic, especially in congregate settings. Worldwide, natural ventilation is the most common means of air disinfection, but it is inherently unreliable and of limited use in cold climates. Upper room germicidal ultraviolet (UV) air disinfection with air mixing has been shown to be highly effective, but improved evidence-based dosing guidelines are needed. ⋯ Upper room germicidal UV air disinfection with air mixing was highly effective in reducing tuberculosis transmission under hospital conditions. These data support using either a total fixture output (rather than electrical or UV lamp wattage) of 15-20 mW/m(3) total room volume, or an average whole-room UV irradiance (fluence rate) of 5-7 μW/cm(2), calculated by a lighting computer-assisted design program modified for UV use.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Aug 2015
Timing and Duration of Traffic-Related Air Pollution Exposure and the Risk for Childhood Wheeze and Asthma.
The timing and duration of traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) exposure may be important for childhood wheezing and asthma development. ⋯ Early-life exposure to TRAP is associated with increased risk for persistent wheezing, but only long-term exposure to high levels of TRAP throughout childhood was associated with asthma development.