Indoor air disinfection can be the key to keeping a college campus safe and healthy. This is no small task given the hundreds or thousands of staff and students coming and going every day.
Traditional surface cleaning methods can only go so far when it comes to combating germs and viruses. Campus facility managers are constantly searching for new tools to ensure the safety of students and staff.
One such notable tool that has recently become popular in commercial facilities is indoor air UV disinfection. This germicidal UV system utilizes ultraviolet light to sanitize airborne particles. It provides an impressive added layer of protection against harmful viruses indoors. It is an ideal option for college campuses everywhere.
In this post, we will take a closer look at the advantages of indoor air disinfection works for college campuses. To get a quote on a customized solution for your campus, contact our team today.
Millions of Students Attend Class on College Campuses Every Day
The United States has an impressive number of college campuses and universities. With almost 6,000 post-secondary institutions, there is no shortage of options for students seeking higher education. What is even more astounding is the sheer number of college students attending classes on these campuses. Look at these numbers:
- Over 18.5 million college students enrolled in 2021
- Around 13.5 million attending public colleges
- Over 5 million in private colleges
- Almost 3.5 million employees work at U.S. colleges
- 1.5 million faculty members
- Close to 2 million non-instructional staff
These enrollment numbers are expected to remain fairly constant over the next few years. With such a large number of students and staff, it is no surprise that college campuses are bustling with energy and activity.
Viruses Spread Quickly and Disrupt Learning
College campuses are known for being hubs of intellectual activity and social interaction. Unfortunately, they are also fertile ground for the spread of viruses. What makes college campuses unique compared to other indoor spaces is the constant movement of people from place to place.
In many typical indoor spaces, such as an office building, a person usually stays within a limited physical sphere. They work alongside the same group of people for most of the day, and move between set spaces such as their desk, a meeting room, or the office kitchen. On a college campus, there is continuous and significant movement of people. A student might go into several different lecture halls, the library, a technology center, the gym, a student lounge or cafe, a faculty member’s office, and their dorm room, all within the course of one day.
This constant movement increases the number of person-to-person interactions. Consequently, it also increases the number of times and places a virus can spread. The close quarters and crowded nature of a campus environment can cause these viruses to spread like wildfire. Students and staff members may find themselves succumbing to illnesses, leading to missed classes and important events.
The inability of a campus to control the spread of sickness can even have a more significant and long-term effect on the college itself. After the pandemic, which upended normal college life and significantly impacted student enrollment, it is estimated that at least three dozen colleges and universities have either permanently closed or been forced to merge with another institution to remain in operation.
UV Disinfection Cleans Air in Large Indoor Spaces on Campus
College campuses can be breeding grounds for germs, especially in large and busy spaces like libraries, lecture halls, and sports gyms. Traditional cleaning methods can only go so far in disinfecting these areas, but indoor UV air disinfection offers a solution that is both effective and automated.
These disinfection systems operate continuously and can target even the hardest-to-reach areas, ensuring that harmful pathogens are eliminated. By incorporating UV disinfection devices into their campus spaces, colleges can create a safer and healthier environment for their students, faculty, and staff.
UV Disinfection Effectively Destroys Viruses
UV disinfection uses powerful ultraviolet light to scramble the genetic material (DNA or RNA) of viruses, rendering them unable to replicate. This indoor air disinfection option uses a targeted wavelength of light to kill germs as they float through the air, and is completely safe for occupied spaces as the light is only emitted into the upper region of the room.
One study looked at UV light’s ability to maintain a constant rate of disinfection when germ levels are constantly increased. Researchers piped a high number of airborne microbes into a closed room, and found that the UV lights in the upper air of the room took only five minutes to reduce the number of harmful airborne germs by 98%. As long as the UV lights remained on, this percentage stayed steady even when they added in a continuous stream of microbes.
Practical Indoor Air Disinfection Solutions from Farlite
When it comes to keeping staff and students safe, there is no substitute for an indoor air disinfection solution. If you are considering adding a highly effective, automated UV disinfection system to your campus, don’t hesitate to contact us for a quote today. We can help you keep your staff and students as safe and healthy as possible.