New Research Shows Building Strategies Can Reduce Risk of Airborne Transmission of Pathogens by up to 80%

Carrier and Syracuse University create assessment tool to quantify risk reduction in buildings, recommend custom mitigation strategies

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Carrier Global Corporation

Jan 25, 2021, 09:00 ET

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla., Jan. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Following new research from Syracuse University showing the effectiveness of building systems to mitigate airborne transmission of pathogens in buildings, Carrier Global Corporation and Syracuse University have co-developed an assessment tool that can evaluate buildings for airborne pathogen transmission risk and provide custom strategies to help ensure healthier and safer environments for building occupants. Carrier Global Corporation (NYSE: CARR) is a leading global provider of healthy, safe and sustainable building and cold chain solutions.

The research with Syracuse University's College of Engineering and Computer Science assessed how effective different mitigation strategies are in reducing the risk of transmission airborne pathogens in buildings. Specifically, the study evaluated individual components in buildings and how they work together. Results showed that customized, layered mitigation strategies can reduce the risk of airborne transmission of pathogens by up to 80%. Tactics such as managed occupancy, increased filtration and ventilation, air scrubbers and air purifiers can help to create healthier and safer indoor environments. Primary support for the study came from Carrier.

In the study, Syracuse University estimated virus generation rate based on published case studies for SARS-COV-2 outbreaks, defined the baseline space conditions for different type of buildings, and then applied the widely adopted Wells-Riley equation to estimate the baseline risks.

"Applying this aggregated data and risk calculation, we then quantified the potential for reducing airborne transmission risk by using various indoor air quality control strategies including source control, ventilation and air cleaning," said Syracuse University mechanical and aerospace engineering Professor Jensen Zhang. "It is encouraging to know that significant risk reduction can be achieved."

"Our new assessment tool provides a new and innovative way for Carrier experts to examine individual components in buildings and how they work together, to recommend a layered strategy that ultimately reduces risk of airborne transmission of pathogens," said Rajan Goel, senior vice president, Carrier Building Solutions Group and leader of Carrier's Heathy Buildings Program. "The tool provides us a very effective mechanism for improving our customers' overall indoor air quality and efficiency."

Carrier has a legacy of working with leading institutions to advance the body of knowledge. Most recently, Carrier worked with the University of Colorado Boulder to examine ventilation rates in K-12 classrooms and found that 60% of the classrooms studied in the Denver area were below recommended ventilation levels. Carrier also supported groundbreaking research with Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Indoor Environmental Quality lab at Syracuse University's Center of Excellence that reviewed the effect ventilation can have on cognitive function. The Impact of Green Buildings on Cognitive Function study found a doubling of cognitive function test scores among study participants in green buildings with enhanced ventilation.

To learn more about scheduling a building assessment, visit Corporate.Carrier.com/HealthyBuildings to contact a Carrier Healthy Buildings expert. Carrier's Healthy Buildings Program and its solutions can help assess, operate, maintain and upgrade buildings to help protect what's most important – the health of those inside.

About Carrier
As the leading global provider of healthy, safe and sustainable building and cold chain solutions, Carrier Global Corporation is committed to making the world safer, sustainable and more comfortable for generations to come. From the beginning, we've led in inventing new technologies and entirely new industries. Today, we continue to lead because we have a world-class, diverse workforce that puts the customer at the center of everything we do. For more information, visit www.Corporate.Carrier.com or follow us on social media at @Carrier.