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News Release

HHS OFFERS GUIDANCE ON AIR-FILTRATION,
AIR-CLEANING SYSTEMS TO GUARD BUILDINGS AGAINST ATTACKS

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the release of new guidance to help facility specialists in business and government strategically select and use air-filtration and air-cleaning systems to protect occupants in buildings from chemical, biological, or radiological attacks.

Air-filtration and air-cleaning systems are critical tools for protecting workers and other building occupants from hazardous airborne materials. The guidelines will help building designers, building engineers, and others who make technical decisions to improve air filtration in buildings such as offices, retail facilities, schools, transportation terminals, indoor malls and sports arenas.

"This new document offers practical guidance for our partners in government and the private sector on selecting appropriate air-filtration and air-cleaning systems," Secretary Thompson said. "It is part of our broader, ongoing efforts to help strengthen emergency preparedness and protect public health across the country."

The HHS document, "Guidance for Filtration and Air-Cleaning Systems to Protect Building Environments from Airborne Chemical, Biological, or Radiological Attacks," was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), in collaboration with a working group at the White House Office of Homeland Security, now the Department of Homeland Security.

"In addition to enhancing emergency preparedness, these guidelines also have value for reducing risks of occupational respiratory illnesses, improving indoor air quality and reducing maintenance and operating costs," NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard said. "By selecting and maintaining the right filtration and cleaning systems, building operators can keep the air inside their workplaces cleaner, improve the efficiency of their ventilation systems and help reduce workers' risks for occupational asthma, allergy and other respiratory illnesses," he said.

The document recognizes the many complicated issues involved in choosing an appropriate filtration and cleaning system. Decisions appropriate for one building may not be appropriate for all buildings. Building engineers and managers need to assess different factors that will help them make the best decisions for particular situations. These factors include the intended use of the system, prevention of "filter bypass" or leakage around filters, life-cycle costs for the system and the potential for air leakage through the walls of the building.

According to the guidance, key steps for selecting and using appropriate filtration and cleaning include:

• Identifying the types of filtration and cleaning systems that are effective against various chemical, biological and radiological agents, and determining what types are appropriate for use at a given location.
• Identifying the types of systems that can be added on to an existing heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system to increase protection against chemical, biological and radiological agents.
• Determining the types of systems that can be added on to existing buildings when the buildings undergo comprehensive renovation.
• Deciding how to maintain filtration and cleaning systems properly once they are installed.

The guidelines supplement a May 2002 HHS report on safeguarding buildings against chemical, biological and radiological threats. The earlier report provided broad guidance about many aspects of ventilation systems; the new guidelines focus specifically on filtration systems, which remove particles from the air, and cleaning systems, which remove gases and vapors.

The new document, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2003-136, is available on the NIOSH Web site at www.cdc.gov/niosh. Printed copies will be available shortly by calling toll-free 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674) or e-mail pubstaft@cdc.gov. The May 2002 report, "Guidance for Protecting Building Environments from Airborne Chemical, Biological, or Radiological Attacks," DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2002-139, is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/bldvent/2002-139.html.

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last Revised: May 2, 2003