Wirksamkeit der Lüftung gegen Corona
An Bord von United Airlines Flugzeugen hat das U.S. Transportation Command während Daten zur Sauberkeit der Luft und der damit verbundenen COVID-19 Ansteckungsgefahr gesammelt.
Im Zuge der Corona-Pandemie hat U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) im Auftrag des amerikanischen Verteidigungsministeriums die bis dato größte Studie zu den Luftströmen an Bord kommerzieller Flugzeuge durchgeführt. Mehr als ein halbes Jahr lang fanden die entsprechenden Tests ausschließlich an Bord von Flugzeugen von United Airlines statt. Das Ergebnis: „Das Risiko einer Verbreitung von COVID-19 ist an Bord von United Airlines praktisch nicht gegeben.“
Wenn sich die Passagiere auf ihren Sitzen befinden und einen Mund-Nasen-Schutz tragen, können demnach – selbst wenn das Flugzeug bis auf den letzten Platz gefüllt ist – nur 0,003 Prozent der infizierten Luftpartikel in die Atmungszone eines Fluggastes gelangen. Dazu tragen laut der Studie auch der schnelle Luftaustausch in den Flugzeugen, die Luftzirkulation von oben nach unten sowie der Einsatz hochwirksamer HEPA-Luftfilter bei. Die Luft an Bord der United-Flugzeuge, so eine weitere Erkenntnis der Studie, gehört damit zu den gesundheitssichersten innerhalb geschlossener Räume.
Nachfolgend finden Sie eine Kurzzusammenfassung der Studie, Informationen zur Methodik der Studie und ein Statement von Toby Enqvist, Chief Customer Officer von United Airlines.
TRANSCOM/AMC Boeing 777 & 767 Particulate Testing Methodology
The research, which also involved the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), was done by releasing particles across the entire cabin by section. Each section had 42 bio-defense sensors set up in every seat across multiple rows. Sensors were also placed in the galleys and jetbridge during ground testing. A mannequin (her name is Ruth!) equipped with an integrated aerosol generator was used to simulate breathing and coughing with a mask on and off. The sensors represented other passengers who could potentially come in contact with the particles emitted. To make the situation even more realistic, thermal blankets were used to simulate bodily heat emission onboard.
KEY DATA POINTS
Study took place over six months
300 tests conducted over 38 hours of flight time and 45 hours of ground testing on United aircraft
Each test released 180 million particles – equivalent to the number of particles that would be produced by thousands of coughs
The results showed that, when seated with a mask on, on average only 0.003% of particles actually made their way into another passenger’s breathing zone -the findings show that even in neighbouring seats, risk is limited and that masks continue to help minimize exposure when someone coughs
Approximately 99.99% of particles were filtered out of the cabin within six minutes due to fast air circulation, downward air ventilation and efficient filtration systems on the plane
In addition to TRANSCOM, DARPA and United, study participants included Boeing, S3i, Zeteo Tech and the National Strategic Research Institute at the University of Nebraska.
Commentary from United’s Chief Customer Officer, Toby Enqvist
“Throughout the pandemic, our top priority has been the health and safety of our customers and crew. It’s why we supported the work of military officials, medical experts and aviation engineers that shows that the cabin of an aircraft is one of the safest environments in the world. These results from the Department of Defense demonstrate that the steps we have taken at United, including maximizing air flow, running our air filtration system at all times, enforcing a mandatory mask policy and overhauling our cleaning procedures mean your chances of COVID-exposure on a United aircraft are nearly non-existent, even if your flight is full.” – Toby Enqvist, Chief Customer Officer
Die vollständige Studie gibt es hier
