The study details the risk of contracting airborne illnesses — in this case, COVID-19 — while on public transportation that uses air conditioners with recycled air. Of particular note, the researchers cite data that showed substantially higher rates of respiratory infections among people in the UK who traveled on a bus or tram within a few days of developing symptoms. These instances highlight the importance of air filtration systems, though it’s necessary to determine which filters work best against the diseases we most commonly face in public spaces.

The experts also focus on COVID-19 and the risk one faces when using public transportation, citing past research that found high numbers of new cases among people who used buses and similar public options during the pandemic. Air conditioners set to recycle air may be to blame for these large case numbers among commuters, which is where air filtration systems come in.

HEPA filters are one popular option, but the new study points out that not only are they energy-intensive, but they also fail to actively destroy the airborne pathogens, potentially allowing them to “proliferate within the air filtration system.” The researchers behind this study went a different direction and instead applied chlorhexidine digluconate (CHDG) as a coating on air filter fibers, finding that it performs well against COVID-19.

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Originally Appeared Here