Impact of supplementary air filtration on aerosols and particulate matter in a UK hospital ward: a case study.

Background: Aerosol spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a major problem in hospitals, leading to an increase in supplementary high-efficiency particulate air filtration aimed at reducing nosocomial transmission. This article reports a natural experiment that occurred when an air cleaning unit (ACU) on a medicine for older people ward was switched off accidentally while being commissioned.

Aim: To assess aerosol transport within the ward and determine whether the ACU reduced airborne particulate matter (PM) levels.