How to create health-safe spaces? How do viruses and other airborne pathogens spread? How do you take human activity into account? For example, these are the questions to which the multidisciplinary E3 Excellence in Pandemic Response and Enterprise Solutions project has brought answers – new scientifically proven information and practical solutions. The project culminated in the public final seminar called Tackling Pandemics (30.10.2024, Helsinki), where the public final report of the project was also published. The event highlighted the latest research findings on virus diagnostics, routes of transmission and the design of health-safe facilities and discussed how to put these issues into practice.
The E3 project was born out of the need to develop and create research-based solutions to prevent the spread of pathogens during the COVID-19 pandemic. The three-year, multidisciplinary, collaborative innovation project involving seven research institutes and 22 companies ended at the end of October 2024.
The aim of the project was to provide, during the current pandemic and before the next one occurs, a comprehensive understanding and concrete technical solutions to reduce the spread of pathogens, especially airborne, at human contact points and thus bring pandemics to an end more quickly.
The solutions developed in this project have proven to be very useful and necessary in the fight against seasonal respiratory infections and are also effective in pandemic situations. The medical part of the multidisciplinary E3 project has studied the spread of viruses in terms of infectivity and diagnostics. This has provided a solid medical basis for research on air quality and building services engineering, and for practical experimental research with companies in day-care, office and hospital environments, among others.
The key result of the E3 project is that purifying the indoor air can reduce morbidity. In the E3 daycare study, it was found that the incidence of children's illnesses decreased by 18 % when more clean air was produced in the premises with the help of air purifiers. Achieving the effects of reducing morbidity is ensured with air purifiers that are correctly positioned and dimensioned for the premises. The result is of great importance for children's well-being, including parents' absence from work, which has a large societal cost impact.
In a pilot study conducted in a hospital environment in Romania, significant reductions in particle concentration were verified and it was shown that the purity of the indoor air in an old hospital building can be significantly improved with the help of air cleaners.
The studies also showed that the production of clean air with air purifiers in a hospital room in Finland reached almost the same standardized limit values as in recently built isolation rooms. By increasing the production of clean air, it is therefore possible to protect the patient from the environment and the staff from infectious patients. Such solutions have significant potential to contain worldwide airborne diseases in hospital environments.
Cooperation between companies and researchers has also promoted understanding in so-called micro-environments, where the goal is to improve indoor air quality locally, for example in offices. In the project, special zones have been created in the premises, where the air quality has been improved, and their conditions have been studied with both experimental measurements and modeling. By creating micro-environments, air quality and thermal comfort can be improved locally without increasing ventilation and also energy consumption.
Overall, the E3 research has shown that the functionality of the ventilation system and the purity of the indoor air play a key role in preventing the spread of airborne diseases. Therefore, the functionality of the ventilation system must be planned in the most efficient way from a health and safety perspective, taking into account not only the buildings but also the activities of people in them. The project has also developed a comprehensive model for assessing infection risk. It can be used to assess the risk of infection in different spaces and conditions and tailor air cleaning solutions according to actual needs.
The final seminar Tackling pandemics presented the research results, conclusions and recommendations of at the University of Helsinki on October 30, 2024.
Tackling pandemics event site and presentations:
The Final Report of the E3 project: https://www.pandemicresponse.fi/finalreport