Package Description

Effective ventilation strategies are used as part of a layered approach to reduce exposure to infectious aerosol exposures. These aerosols spread between people more readily indoors because the aerosol concentration is often higher than outdoors, where even a light wind can rapidly reduce concentrations. When indoors, ventilation strategies can help reduce the concentration of infectious particles in the air. The lower the concentration, the less likely particles can be inhaled into the lungs; contact eyes, nose, and mouth; or fall out of the air to accumulate on surfaces, which can lower the overall dose of particles to building occupants. The ventilation strategies discussed can be universally applied across indoor environments, as many are applicable to different building types, occupancies, and activities. In addition to general buildings, lessons learned from healthcare will be discussed, and examples specific to the dental practice will be provided for consideration and discussion.

Learning Objectives:

After completing this course, learners should be able to:

• understand the protective ventilation strategies to control infectious aerosols
• describe patient placement in conjunction with ventilation strategies to create protective airflow patterns
• contrast proven air cleaning technologies with emerging technologies and outline prudent ways to evaluate emerging technologies
• identify ventilation solutions that can help control infectious aerosols in your individual dental practices

Price:

• Members: $15
• Non-members: $30

CE Information:

CE Credits: 1.00

Click here to view detailed CE information about this course.

Speakers:

Stephen B. Martin, PhD, PE

CAPT Martin is a Senior Research Engineer with the Field Studies Branch of the Respiratory Health Division at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Morgantown, West Virginia. Since joining NIOSH in 1997, he has been involved with research into respirator filter and unit performance, ventilation systems and other engineering controls, indoor air quality investigations, and air/surface disinfection studies using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI). Steve is a founding member and past-chairperson of the ASHRAE Technical Committee on Ultraviolet Air and Surface Disinfection (TC 2.9) and a voting member of the ASHRAE Standards Project Committee (SPC 185) that developed standard testing methods for in-duct UVGI air and surface disinfection devices.

Disclosures: No relevant financial relationships to disclose

Kenneth Mead, PhD, PE

Dr. Mead is a Senior Research Engineer and Brand Chief of the Engineering and Physical Hazards Branch within the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Dr. Mead is a registered professional engineer with over 30 years of experience providing occupational safety and health engineering support, primarily to the Department of Defense (DoD), construction, and healthcare industries. For the past 20 years, his research interests and professional committee work have primarily centered around engineering protections for healthcare workers and emergency responders.

Disclosures: No relevant financial relationships to disclose