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Evaluation of electrostatic sprayers and foggers for the application of disinfectants in the era of SARS-CoV-2
Citation:
Wood, J., M. Magnuson, A. Touati, J. Gilberry, J. Sawyer, T. Chamberlain, S. McDonald, AND D. Hook. Evaluation of electrostatic sprayers and foggers for the application of disinfectants in the era of SARS-CoV-2 . PLOS ONE . Public Library of Science, San Francisco, CA, 16(9):e0257434, (2021). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257434
Impact/Purpose:
Recent research has shown that the COVID-19 disease is primarily caused by airborne transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but it is believed that the virus may also be transmitted via contact with contaminated surfaces . Thus, disinfection of potentially contaminated surfaces is recommended, among other infection control activities, to limit the spread of the disease. Business owners, school district leaders, and even mass transit leaders have needed to find ways to disinfect large surface areas quickly and effectively that are frequently touched by many people. Thus, use of electrostatic sprayers (ESS) and foggers to rapidly apply disinfectants over large areas or complex, intricate surfaces has increased substantially with the COVID-19 outbreak. ESS have been used for many years in several other industries (e.g., efficient application of pesticides to crops), but recently they have grown in popularity as a technique to efficiently and rapidly apply disinfectants to surfaces, i.e., especially those that may be contaminated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These devices impart an electrostatic charge to the disinfectant spray droplets, with the goal of improving deposition of the droplets onto surfaces and thus promoting more efficient use of the disinfectant. This attribute may be both an advantage and disadvantage: an ESS may allow less disinfectant to be used to cover a surface area, but with less disinfectant applied, disinfection efficacy may diminish if the surface does not remain wet for the required contact time. There are several ESS parameters that may impact the disinfectant’s ability to inactivate the virus on surfaces, notwithstanding that an ESS is only as effective as the disinfectant chemical being sprayed (only EPA-approved disinfectants should be used for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and in accordance with the disinfectant product’s label). Other parameters may introduce exposure concerns by creating inhalation hazards to the operator of the ESS or those occupying the space following disinfection. The purpose of this research was to evaluate spray parameters for several different types of sprayers and foggers for the concerns noted above.
Description:
Although research has shown that the COVID-19 disease is most likely caused by airborne transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, disinfection of potentially contaminated surfaces is also recommended to limit the spread of the disease. Use of electrostatic sprayers (ESS) and foggers to rapidly apply disinfectants over large areas or to complex surfaces has emerged with the COVID-19 pandemic. ESSs are designed to impart an electrostatic charge to the spray droplets with the goal of increasing deposition of the droplets onto surfaces, thereby promoting more efficient use of the disinfectant. The purpose of this research was to evaluate several spray parameters for different types of sprayers and foggers, as they relate to the application of disinfectants. Some of the parameters evaluated included the spray droplet size distribution, the electrostatic charge, the ability of the spray to wrap around objects, and the loss of disinfectant chemical active ingredient due to the spray process. The results showed that most of the devices evaluated for droplet size distribution had an average volume median diameter ≥ 40 microns, and that four out of the six ESS tested for charge/mass produced sprays of at least 0.1 mC/kg. A minimal wrap-around effect of the spray deposition onto a cylindrical object was observed. The loss of disinfectant active ingredient to the air due to spraying was minimal for the two disinfectants tested, and concurrently, the active ingredient concentrations of the liquid disinfectants sprayed and collected 3 feet away from the spray nozzle did not decrease.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Evaluation of electrostatic sprayers and foggers for the application of disinfectants in the era of SARS-CoV-2
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