Air decontamination in hospitals is usually accomplished by using passive HEPA filters. While being effective against airborne particles, HEPA filters have the disadvantage that pathogenic organisms collected by the filter are not inactivated and can remain infectious for several hours or more. This poses the risk that already collected pathogens may be released into the airstream again, especially after long usage of the filter. Furthermore, HEPA filters have significant impact on the airstream, resulting in pressure drop and noticeable noise emission which is usually undesired in the medical environment.

Illustration: PIA™ ASC-CC 9500B air disinfection device, developed under the framework of project CleanAir, conceived for installation into cassette ceilings in medical facilities for continuous treatment of the indoor air

It was found that LEA™ could, at least theoretically, achieve a microbial reduction rate of log10. This assumption could not be proven up to date, due to restriction by the laboratory’s limit of detection (LOD). However, as shown in the graph, this limit has been reached by LEA™ after 90 minutes of testing. Further results, obtained with different pathogenic organisms, also provide evidence of LEA’s™ effectiveness as a novel air disinfection technology, which can be used on a broader scale in the future.