Elevator Ventilation and SARS-CoV-2-Relevant Particulate Matter Removal in Three Older California Elevators

Figure 1

PM removal simulation during continuous use of a 10-story elevator for five minutes, during which there are eight coughs and then the elevator empty and stationary with the door closed for five minutes. (a) Scenario 1: express transit between top and bottom floors only. (b) Scenario 2: stops every other floor. -axis is the concentration of particles per cubic meter inside the elevator, and the -axis is the time in minutes during normal use (red) and with air cleaner intervention (green). C = discrete cough emission of 75,400 particles [46] in an elevator. Narrow blue regions are when the elevator stops on a floor and the door opens to let out passengers ( to 5 minutes), and large blue regions outlined in red are when the elevator is empty and stationary and the door is closed waiting for passengers ( to 10 minutes). Open-door times for stops on floors were 10 seconds at every floor stop.

(a)

(b)