Rutgers Researches Home Air Purifiers’ Ability to Reduce COVID-19

Rutgers Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI) is seeking participants for a new study to understand airborne viral concentrations present in the air of homes of adults recently diagnosed with COVID-19.

The study seeks to learn if airborne virus concentrations can be reduced by portable air purifiers and lead to reduced risk of infection to others in the home. “We believe that the high rates of transmission in homes are because people share their breathing air,” said principal investigator Howard Kipen. “If we could identify cost-effective methods to protect those who live in the home with a person who has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease, we could change outcomes, particularly in smaller homes where complete isolation is impossible.”

Portable air cleaners are already well-known to substantially reduce other pollutants in household air.

The CDC recommends that people newly diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 self-isolate at home for 14 days and receive care from family and friends. Aerosols and tiny droplets may transmit the virus even when using precautions such as wearing a mask and social distancing. The CDC gives home caretakers no guidance about protection against the smaller particles and droplets that may be in the air. Currently, there is a lack of data on airborne virus concentrations in homes and ways to reduce this risk to caregivers or family members.

Researchers are interested in studying the homes of newly infected individuals less than seven days after a positive test to measure viral particles in the air. Rutgers will test if a portable stand-alone air cleaner reduces the amount of virus in the room air.

For more information about this study, or to participate, go to http://eohsi.rutgers.edu/aircleanerscovid/ or contact the study team at researchstudy@eohsi.rutgers.edu or phone 732-535-0780.