While concerns about occupants' health, comfort, energy consumption, and environment are becoming a main design consideration for ventilation systems there are also threats to public safety and security that cannot be overlooked and need to be taken into consideration. A sudden release of chemical and biological agents can pose a safety and security threat to public buildings and can cause injuries and loss of life. Recently air-cleaner technology has been introduced for air sterilization and purification in industrial buildings and hospitals due to its long life, functionality, and sustainability. However this technology has not been applied to the nonindustrial built environment in general, and the possibility of a sudden release of chemical or biological agents in particular has not been addressed. This paper presents a detailed review of previous studies on the measurement of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation effectiveness for decontamination, particularly as related to rooms and mechanical systems (ducting) in buildings. It also discusses the methods used to model the space, as well as the measurements and methods used to measure its performance followed by a comparison of the results and discussion of the possible causes of variance in reported data.
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