Returning to the dance studio safely (covid-19)

The "black light" tubes you see are just barely into the UV range, generally having peak output at about 395-405nm (with 400 being considered the boundary between visible and UV). Most cheap UV LED flashlights are the same; some more expensive ones marketed as counterfeit-currency detectors go as low as 365nm. For germicidal use, they need to be below 280nm, which currently is mostly achieved with mecury-vapor tubes (like fluorescent tubes but without the phospors to convert everything to visible light).

There are some indications that far-UVC (200-220nm, instead of the 250-270nm in current germicidal UV-C lamps) may be safe for humans while still destroying viruses, but even if proven it will still take a while for such lamps to become readily available.

However, even the existing UVC systems could be used as long as there are safety interlocks so that they are never on when people are present. Obviously that reduces their efficacy in heavily-used areas, which are precisely the ones that most need the desinfection.
 
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ASHRAE is putting together a task force on HVAC recommendations for the pandemic.

ttps://www.ashrae.org/about/news/2020/ashrae-epidemic-task-force-established?fbclid=IwAR1UoH7aXq836NGO4cLmYe51soph9pv88SsC7994o2MnBGCoLOWRzD3rbcE

I'm sure they'll discuss UV lights in their recommendations. Generally speaking, you want these engineered for your space and application not just deployed willi-nilly.

My area is not HVAC. But all ME's take a little HVAC. For now, the likely no risk HVAC things to do likely involve fresh air, good filters (MERV 11, 13 if your systems can use them) and (evidently) some amount of humidity.

Based on one paper I read on measurements of aerosols in hospitals, I'd suggest an bathroom exhaust fan set to run a few minutes after the bathroom is used. (Aerosols are NOT considered the main way influenza or Covid are transferred. But this may be because they found very little in rooms, but they did fine aerosols in the bathrooms. Exhausting might be prudent.)

Edited to remove link to facebook you probably can't get to. Added link to ASHRAE.
 
There are UV lighting systems commercially available for rooms. For example, this one is cheap, simple, has quartz lamp (quartz is transparent for UVC; ordinary glass is not), and has built-in safety features:

www.happineseasy.com/products/uv-light-sterilizer-all-free-shipping-23

Of course, they shall be run in the night when nobody is nearby.

There are also very powerful UV sterilizers built in air conditioning systems, where they irradiate the air and the inner surface of the tube. The light doesn't come into the room.

The big advantage of UV light in the room is that it irradiates surfaces that normally are not cleaned, like ceilings.
 
lucia_l said:
Based on one paper I read on measurements of aerosols in hospitals, I'd suggest an bathroom exhaust fan set to run a few minutes after the bathroom is used.
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If couse, if there is an exhaust fan, let it run continuously during busy hours, assuming the exhaust is indeed to outside.
 
Mengu said:
Wouldn't zero contact be better, using an NFC device with Apple Pay, Android Pay, etc?
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Only as another way of payment, it will be excellent.

Haven't seen this deployed in any dance place. There are small fees, privacy issues, data breach risk and perhaps other issues involved. Also, many people don't carry smartphones with them.
 
lucia_l said:
Based on one paper I read on measurements of aerosols in hospitals, I'd suggest an bathroom exhaust fan set to run a few minutes after the bathroom is used. (Aerosols are NOT considered the main way influenza or Covid are transferred. But this may be because they found very little in rooms, but they did fine aerosols in the bathrooms. ...
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So what is the main way influenza or Covid are transferred, if it is known already? It is very important information.
 
The other problem with UV light sterilization is that the light needs to actually hit the thing to be sterilized. If it's blocked, like the thing is underneath something, no sterilization.
 
Dupont,
I think the general situation with Covid-19 is 'nobody really knows'. The reason for this is the virus and illness is too new to be carefully studied. Even with influenza, papers I've seen seem to be tentative. (This is not my area-- but basically, they are trying to figure out the dominant modes and whether anything can be ruled out.)

I've read the main mode of transfer for both is thought to be droplets, which can hang in the air up to 2 hours. But aerosols have not been ruled out. (The difference between aerosol and droplet is size. Droplets are big enough to fall under the influence of gravity. Aerosols can be small enough to remain aloft due to convection currents or, if smaller, brownian motion.)

Both viruses are also thought to transmit when the droplets land on something (table, person, floor, wall) then get touched by a person. So tables, trays etc could be vectors.

Every article I've read has caveats like "we don't really know." This is followed with advice like washing your hands a lot. (Some are beginning to suggest wearing masks. We know the asymptomatic can trasmit. If nothing else, their wearing mask intercepts droplets they emit preventing that from landing on others. So, to some extent the mask YOU wear isn't to protect YOU. It's to protect others. )

Generally, at home, some fresh air and filtration will reduce droplets and aerosols. UV is supposed to do some good, but care is required to avoid hazards associated with UV. There aren't so many hazards with fresh air (other than drafts, which most people notice, complain about and tend to fix.)
 
lucia_l said:
Based on one paper I read on measurements of aerosols in hospitals, I'd suggest an bathroom exhaust fan set to run a few minutes after the bathroom is used. (Aerosols are NOT considered the main way influenza or Covid are transferred. But this may be because they found very little in rooms, but they did fine aerosols in the bathrooms. Exhausting might be prudent.)
Click to expand...
I would recommend further study on that. In my house, the bathroom exhaust just vents into the attic. When I moved into my house, I discovered that the whole-house attic fan mounted into the ceiling was not effective because the attic was not vented adequately and it ended up pushing hot attic air into other areas of the house through cracks in the walls and electrical outlets and switches.

If the bathroom exhaust actually is ducted to the outside then it should be OK.
 
My house doesn't have bathroom fans. The theory is you can open the window!

Yes. Fans should duct to the outdoors.

I'm overhearing a conversation between my brother-in-law who works for the county. Their buildings are now on 100% outside air. He's the guy who was tasked with doing the calculations to figure out the energy load.

County is doing some other things too....
 
There are lots of good ideas in this thread. Maybe limiting the number of people (employees and students) in the studio at one time would also be an idea. That's easy enough during private lessons, and some group classes. But for parties, maybe 50 or fewer would be a good place to start. And all people would have temperature taken at the door.

When this is over, I can see me being mostly fine with lessons with NP. As far as I know, NP hasn't been sick. But for parties, honestly I can't see getting all dressed up, and then putting on a homemade mask and plastic (or cotton) gloves to go dancing, to be around people that I have no idea if they've been sick or not. It's not giving me a case of the warm fuzzies. I'm having a hard time going to Kroger to get groceries once a week now; everything looks so unsanitary now. :(
 
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