Review of the efficacy of HEPA filtered air to control coronavirus risks in cleanrooms

The risk of viral transmission in the built environment is a matter of concern in the era of the novel coronavirus pandemic, for most of society, given that humans spent the majority of their time indoors. For pharmaceuticals and healthcare, there is an additional concern about working in cleanrooms and the degree to which protective measures are appropriate. With cleanrooms, an important concern is with the efficacy of HEPA filters. This article looks at the risks stemming from SARS-CoV-2 and applies these to the cleanroom context. The article concludes that the cleanroom environment does not contribute to the risk of viral transmission, and certain design aspects can, in fact, reduce the risk compared with other built environments.

Tim Sandle has written a new paper. The reference is:

Sandle, T. (2020) Review of the efficacy of HEPA filtered air to control coronavirus risks in cleanrooms, European Journal of Parenteral and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Volume 25 Issue 2 https://www.ejpps.online/  https://doi.org/10.37521/ejpps

The article indicates that working within a cleanroom does not increase the risk of viral transmission. Given that viruses are commonly associated with larger particles (forming complexes with water, proteins, salts, and so on) in a range of sizes, most of which cannot penetrate high efficiency filters, the risk of ingress into cleanrooms is low. Within the cleanroom, protective measures include personnel behaviours and gowning, coupled with frequent glove sanitisation. Furthermore, ventilation, in terms of higher air exchange rates, is also important in reducing the transmission potential of SARS-CoV-2.  

Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle, Pharmaceutical Microbiology Resources (http://www.pharmamicroresources.com/)