Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 25th April 2024 Issue no. 1111
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Coronavirus: 30% of workers claim they may refuse to go back to work unless employers provide assurances on air quality
Research released this week by Rentokil Initial has found that concerns about catching Coronavirus in the air have risen since the end of 2020. More than one in four (26%) Brits are worried about airborne transmission, a 19% increase from when Rentokil Initial conducted the same survey back in November 2020.
Contact with other people, for example, when social distancing is breached, remains the most concerning route for transmission, cited by half the population.
The poll of 2,000 adults also found that the majority (52%) of Brits remain worried that life will never go back to normal, the same percentage that was recorded previously.
Last year the World Health Organisation updated its guidance to say that Coronavirus could be transmitted via aerosols in the air, and this 'Air to Person' transmission route has been widely covered in the news and is clearly impacting public attitudes.
Two thirds (68%) of those surveyed said they believe businesses and employers should do more to ensure they provide clean air in the premises (up from 65% in November 2020), while 62% of respondents went so far to say that air purification systems should be mandatory in public buildings and education facilities (up from 59%). Nearly one third (30%) of workers said they won't go back to work unless their employer assures them of the building's indoor air quality.
Heading towards the 12th April and the first proposed step in the relaxation of lockdown measures for the retail and hospitality sectors in England, concerns about socialising indoors appear to be heightened. The three activities that concern the public the most post lockdown, are: using public transport (36%), socialising indoors (31%) and drinking indoors at bars or pubs (29%).
"These survey results show that tackling air quality and preventing the airborne spread of Coronavirus clearly remains an important challenge, alongside the vaccine rollout,” says Jamie Woodhall, UK technical & innovation manager, Rentokil Initial.
"The scientific evidence continues to build and it is very clear how important good ventilation and air purification is within indoor spaces. When it comes to easing of lockdown measures, the expectation from the public is that businesses and employers need to do their bit in helping to ensure that they are providing clean air, so that the risk of catching an airborne virus indoors is reduced.
"Rentokil Initial is distributing VirusKiller, air purification technology which is proven to kill 99.9999% of viruses with a single air pass, including Coronavirus. The solution also decontaminates the air, by not only trapping but also killing airborne viruses, bacteria and fungi. Its presence should assure people in facilities that the indoor air has been treated to the highest of standards."
Alongside a triple filtration system, VirusKiller uses patented ultraviolet-C (UV-C) lamps, surrounded by a mesh of chromed nano titanium dioxide tube filters that are polished with activated carbon. The emitted UV light reacts with the mesh, and in a process called 'photocatalytic oxidation' produces hydroxyl radicals, which acts as a disinfectant and breaks down the organic molecules. This all in one solution effectively filters dirty air, neutralises toxic air and decontaminates sick air.
1st April 2021