A Systematic Literature Review of Indoor Air Disinfection Techniques for Airborne Bacterial Respiratory Pathogens

Thi Tham Nguyen, Graham R. Johnson, Scott C. Bell and Luke D. Knibbs
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Thi Tham Nguyen: School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia
Graham R. Johnson: School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
Scott C. Bell: Children’s Health Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4101, Australia
Luke D. Knibbs: School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-12

Abstract: Interrupting the transmission of airborne (<≈5 µm) respiratory pathogens indoors is not a new challenge, but it has attracted unprecedented interest due to the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020–2021. However, bacterial respiratory pathogens with known or potential airborne transmission account for an appreciable proportion of the communicable disease burden globally. We aimed to systematically review quantitative, laboratory-based studies of air disinfection techniques for airborne respiratory bacteria. Three databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus) were searched, following PRISMA guidelines. A total of 9596 articles were identified, of which 517 were assessed in detail and of which 26 met the inclusion and quality assessment criteria. Seven air disinfection techniques, including UV-C light, filtration, and face masks, among others, were applied to 13 different bacterial pathogens. More than 80% of studies suggested that air disinfection techniques were more effective at inactivating or killing bacteria than the comparator or baseline condition. However, it was not possible to compare these techniques because of methodological heterogeneity and the relatively small number of the studies. Laboratory studies are useful for demonstrating proof-of-concept and performance under controlled conditions. However, the generalisability of their findings to person-to-person transmission in real-world settings is unclear for most of the pathogens and techniques we assessed.

Keywords: bioaerosols; airborne transmission; air disinfection techniques; laboratory-based studies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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