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Airborne infection in a fully air-conditioned hospital: I. Air transfer between rooms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

N. Foord  and
O. M. Lidwell
N. Foord
Affiliation:
Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale Avenue, London NW 9 5HT
O. M. Lidwell
Affiliation:
Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale Avenue, London NW 9 5HT
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Measurements have been made of the extent of air exchange between patient rooms in a fully air-conditioned hospital using a tracer-gas method.

When the rooms were ventilated at about six air changes per hour, had an excess airflow through the doorway of about 0.1 m.3/sec. and the temperature difference between rooms and corridor was less than 0.5° C., concentrations of the tracer in rooms close to that in which it was being liberated were 1000-fold less than that in the source room. This ratio fell to about 200-fold in the absence of any excess airflow through the doorways. Considerable dilution took place along the corridors so that the concentration fell by around 10-fold for every 10 m. of corridor.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 75 , Issue 1 , August 1975 , pp. 15 - 30
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1975

References

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