Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Lecture at
VDI Fachtagung Lufthygiene (VDI Congress on
Air Hygiene)
Dortmund, November 4-5, 2003
Introduction
The hygienic condition of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems has recently become the focus for
increasing levels of interest. Current cases of legionella infections in England and Germany, and other European
countries as well, underline the importance of hygienically flawless HVAC systems. Germany has taken the initiative
in seeking out new approaches, in order to avoid the dissemination of pathogens via air-conditioning systems or to
combat phenomena like the sick building syndrome (SBS). VDI Guideline 6022 “Hygienic standards for ventilation
and air-conditioning systems” aims to assist operators in planning new installations, and maintaining or upgrading
their existing systems. Major importance must be attached to the air filter used, as a vital constituent of the HVAC
system, with due attention paid not only to the technical design of the filters, but to their microbiological
characteristics as well. The air filters are required to reduce the penetration of dust, dirt and micro-organisms into
ventilated rooms, and at the same time must not be permitted to become sources of bacteria and fungi. Additional
attention should be given in this context to any HEPA filters used, since these are frequently installed in the intake air
line to sterile rooms such as hospital operating theaters or aseptic production operations in the food and pharma-
ceutical industries, and filter lifetimes of 3 to 5 years are typical.
Core statements of the VDI 6022 Guideline „Hygienic but specific dab samples at air filters, while in Sheet 3 in-
standards for ventilation and air-conditioning vestigations of hygienic defects (such as germ growth or
systems“ in regard to air filters damage) extending beyond visual checks are not demanded
explicitly. If visually detectable defects are found during hy-
VDI Guideline 6022 comprises a total of 3 sheets, with giene inspections, then microbiological investigations must
Sheet 1, published in July 1998, applying for ventilation sys- be conducted if necessary.
tems in office and assembly rooms, and Sheet 3 following in
November 2002 for HVAC systems in production facilities For determining the hygienic condition of individual filter
and business enterprises. Sheet 2, published in December stages or for scheduling a filter change required for hygienic
1999, describes the standards for hygiene training, i.e. reasons, suitable measuring methods have to be used. For
quality assurance for the measures specified in Sheets 1 example, airborne germs can be collected before and after
and 3, by laying down requirements for instructors involved a filter stage (see Figure 1) so as to check whether the
in training, specifying the contents of such training, and measured concentration of germs per cubic meter of air is
defining the procedural and examination conditions applying lower behind the filter than in front of it.
for the courses concerned.
It must be possible to design, install, maintain and exchange air filters in such a way that
they minimise but under no circumstance increase the entry of airborne germs and [...] yes yes
dust into rooms [...].
It is recommended that two filter stages be used, with filters of at least Class F5 (EN 779) basically yes, but
yes with sectorally
[...] in the first stage, and at least F7 […] in the second. specific restrictions
Construction and structure of air filters must permit easy, safe and undamaged assembly
yes yes
[...].
The air filter materials must withstand the mechanical stresses in all phases of operation. yes yes
The filter material must not exhibit any leaks. yes yes
The entire ventilation and air-conditioning plant in the air-conducting area must consist of
materials that can neither emit health endangering materials nor form a nutritive medium yes yes
for micro-organisms.
Glass-fiber and mineral-fiber mats used for insulation must not come into direct contact
yes yes
with the air being transported. 1
The air filters in the first filter stage shall be replaced after one year at the latest, those in
the second filter stage after two years at the latest. Otherwise filters shall be replaced yes no
when the permissible final pressure drop has been reached.
Air filters of the first filter stage are to be replaced after one year at the latest, while for
the subsequent filter stages sectorally specific requirements apply. Otherwise the air no yes
filters shall be replaced when the permissible final pressure drop has been reached.
During their useful lifetime, the collection efficiency of the air filters must not significantly
yes no
deteriorate.
During their entire useful lifetime, the air filters must provide the collection efficiency
no yes
specified for the filter class concerned.
The use of air filters with an antimicrobial effect is permissible only when their efficacy
and safety for human health over the specified filter lifetime has been evidenced in no yes
practical tests.
1
generally valid statement from VDI 6022, which logically enough applies to air filters as well
Table 2 Excerpt from VDI 6022‘s core statements regarding air filters
Fig. 5 Pocket filters featuring not-inherently-stable filter pockets
with the ventilation system switched off (photographed
from the clean-air side)
When filters without inherent stability are used (see Figure 5),
the pockets of the air filters may sag, and not open com-
Fig. 3 Inherently stable pocket filters with the ventilation system pletely in the air flow. A particularly critical consideration
switched off (photographed from the clean-air side in this context is the possibility that the filter pockets will
touch down on what may be a wet housing base. In a
If an HVAC system features pocket filters with inherently situation of this kind, there will be local incidence of in-
stable filter materials or cassette filters with a stable frame creased relative humidity levels at the filter pockets, perhaps
construction, and the limit values for relative humidity are extending to actual wetting, which may trigger an acceler-
complied with, the risk of microbic contamination in the ated growth of germs.
filters will be significantly reduced. In the case of pocket Figures 6 and 7 show examples of an air filter’s pockets
filters with inherently stable pockets (see Figure 3), the featuring a very soft, not inherently stable filter medium. The
pockets will be freely aligned in the air flow during every pockets were unable to open in the air flow, the moisture
operating state, i.e. even with a reduced air volume flow or from the base of the duct was absorbed, and the suscep-
when the HVAC system has been switched off, and any tibility to microbic contamination is substantially increased.
lengthy wetting can be avoided, or the erect filter pockets Moreover, after the ventilation system has been switched
can dry out again in the air flow after any brief exposure to off, the residual heat of the damper register may encourage
moisture. The same considerations essentially apply for the growth of germs. If an HVAC system incorporates air
cassette filters as well, whose pleated, paper-like filter filters featuring filter media which are not inherently stable,
media are mounted in a stable plastic frame. even a filter change after one or two years, as recom-
Figure 4 shows a filter wall with cassette filters, and illus- mended in VDI 6022, will offer no protection against possi-
trates the reasons for the increasing popularity of this filter ble microbic contamination, since potentially harmful micro-
design. organisms can multiply rapidly in significantly shorter time
periods as a result of local excess moisture levels.
Fig. 4 Cassette filters with a stable frame construction Fig. 6 Filter pockets touching the damp base of the ventilation
(photographed from the clean-air side) system
Fig. 7 Detailed view of a wet filter pocket on the base of the
ventilation system Fig. 9 Damage to the filter medium of a pocket filter made of
voluminous glass-fiber nonwoven
tance against the background of VDI 6022. The air filters Air filters featuring filter media with an antimicrobial finish
should be designed so as to ensure that the easy, safe and have been available for some years now. The chemicals
damage-free installation specified is actually feasible in incorporated in these filter media are intended to slow down
practice. In this context, too, an inherently stable filter de- the growth of germs without killing them off. Besides consi-
sign proves advantageous, so as to make it easier for even derations relating to the long-term efficacy of these chemi-
relatively untrained maintenance staff to install the filters cals, their behavior in the event of dust deposits inside
properly. Figure 8 shows a replacement procedure for a the filter, plus their water-solubility and the possibility of
typical pocket filter meeting the specified requirements for substances being released into the clean-air flow, together
installation thanks to its sturdy frame construction and in- with practical evidencing of health safety over the entire
herently stable filter pockets. The filter medium consists of operating period (particularly in interaction with other
synthetic-organic fibers, which will usually possess a suffi- substances), the question also arises of whether filters with
ciently high mechanical strength, thus practically precluding this kind of antimicrobial finish should be used at all in a
any possibility of damage during installation. properly maintained HVAC system. The long-term effect on
humans living and working in ventilated rooms over many
years has, at the very least, not been definitively clarified.
An illuminating comparison, for example, would be the
production of yoghurts using preservatives to extend their
shelf-lives or a clean production process under monitored
condition, where the penetration of germs into the foodstuff
is substantially reduced, and the shelf-life extended in this
way. In the food industry, at least, there is a clearly
discernible trend towards the last-mentioned approach, with
a concomitant reduction in additives.
Pocket filters with filter media made of voluminous glass In vielen RLT-Anlagen von Krankenhäusern und in der In-
fiber nonwovens are frequently used in HVAC systems. It is dustrie sind Schwebstoffilter nach EN 1822 eingesetzt, um
more difficult with these filters to meet the requirement for in bestimmten Räumen (z. B. Operationssäle, sterile Pro-
easy, safe and damage-free installation, since the filter duktionsräume etc.) möglichst keimarme Bedingungen zu
medium reacts very sensitively to mechanical stress, and
may easily tear. Figure 9 illustrates the sensitivity of volu-
minous glass fiber media as exemplified by a damaged
pocket filter.
The arrestance capabilities of HEPA filters are so effective Fig. 12 Class H13 HEPA Filter in conformity with EN 1822, with
that a high to very high percentage of even the smallest a frame made of plastic profiles (610x610x292 mm)
germs are arrested in the filter. Given suitable prefiltration,
the expensive HEPA filters will normally achieve useful Whereas the plastic profile made of ABS is suitable for use
lifetimes of 3 to 5 years, and in individual cases of up to 10 in HVAC systems, the findings for MDF showed the highest
years, cutting the number of elaborate replacement pro- intensity of microbic contamination both for fungi and for
cedures involved. bacteria, which means that the MDF examined is not suit-
Figure 12 shows one of these HEPA filters. A thin, paper- able fur use in HVAC systems in conformity with VDI 6022.
like filter medium in pleated form is glue-mounted into a
stable frame, with a suitable seal for leak-free mountability. To exemplify this, Figure 13 shows the surface of a filter
frame made of MDF, contaminated by germs following
Sheet 3 of VDI 6022 lays down that HEPA filters also have lengthy exposure to moisture.
to meet the requirements of VDI 6022 overall, i.e. they must
not, for instance, constitute a potential source of nutrients
for micro-organisms. This entails a restriction to metal or
plastic for HEPA filters’ frame materials, with plastic scoring
over metal in terms of incinerability and lower filter weight. In
hospitals, particularly, but in industrial facilities as well,
HEPA filters with frames made of wood or MDF (MDF =
medium-density fiber board) are still being used quite
frequently. Filters with wood-like frame materials do not
meet the stipulations of VDI 6022, since this frame material
can be metabolized by microbes.
MDF
substantial growth substantial growth
(of the type used as frame
entire sample surface contaminated entire sample surface contaminated
material for HEPA filters)