Commercial Buildings

Abstract

Applications for UVGI systems in commercial buildings vary with the type of building, but virtually every type of building can benefit from the use of in-duct air disinfection and many buildings can benefit from the use of other types of UV systems. The health hazards and microbiological problems associated with various types of commercial buildings are often unique to the type of facility. The problem of air quality is paramount in commercial office buildings while the problem of biocontamination is of the highest concern in the food industry. Other types of buildings have their own microbial concerns and even their own standards. The pharmaceutical industry has the highest aerobiological air quality standards (and lowest airborne microbial levels) while the other extreme, the agricultural industry, has the highest airborne microbial levels and unique aerobiological concerns. The individual problems of these facilities are addressed in the following sections, and industry experience relating to UV applications are discussed, along with recommendations for how UV systems can be applied. The specific types of UVGI systems are described in previous chapters and these should be referred to for detailed information on such applications.