HK Scientists Develop Air Cleaners for Hospital ICUs

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, May 19, 2003

HK Scientists Develop Air Cleaners for Hospital ICUs

Scientists from City University of Hong Kong claimed on Sunday that they have developed a kind of air cleaners that can disinfect virus in the air for intensive care units in hospitals.

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Scientists from City University of Hong Kong claimed on Sunday that they have developed a kind of air cleaners that can disinfect virus in the air for intensive care units in hospitals.

Albert Song, Associate Profession, laboratory manager of the Department of Building and Construction of the university, said here at a press conference that the air cleaner is designed for use in intensive care units in hospitals.

He said this is expected to help patients, medical workers and visitors in the ward against infection of any diseases through the contaminated air.

He added that with this easy to operate system placing by the side of a bed of patient, a movable hood draws air into the long flexible pipe with an air flow rate of 20 liters per second. The whole setup, except the hood and the flexible pipe, can be placedby the side of the windows.

Song said that the contaminated air will be mixed with chlorinewater with a concentration of 1:49 from the spray installed at thetop of the system. Chlorine water is pumped by the submersible pump up to the spray. Under the spray, there are patented spirals that provide the best environment for contaminated air to mix with chlorine water, thus being sterilized.

He said that spirals will increase contact area and retention time between air flow and chlorine water by increasing turbulence.

Song said that the sterilized air is then dragged to the outer pipe and through another flexible duct to the extraction fan whichis high pressure blower. A heater is used to raise the temperature of the exhausted air to a high temperature of 70 degrees centigrade where virus can not survive. The hot air is finally exhausted to the outdoor environment which has been fully sterilized.

So far, 370 Hong Kong health care workers have contracted with SARS during their treatment of SARS patients. Preventing health care workers from having the disease has become a priority task ofthe Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government.

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