Better ventilation makes a healthier workplace ? if companies ...

And, let's face it, some people are just never going to get vaccinated.Yet a lot can still be done to prevent COVID-19 infections and curb the pandemic.A growing coalition of epidemiologists and aerosol scientists say that improved ventilation could be a powerful tool against the coronavirus — if businesses are willing to invest the money."The science is airtight," said Joseph Allen, director of the Healthy Buildings program at Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health. A simulation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that combining mask-wearing and the use of portable air cleaners with high-efficiency particulate air filters, or HEPA filters, could reduce coronavirus transmission by 90%.Scientists stress that ventilation should be viewed as one strategy in a three-pronged assault on COVID, along with vaccination, which provides the best protection against infection, and high-quality, well-fitted masks, which can reduce a person's exposure to viral particles by up to 95%. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates standards for outdoor air quality, while the Occupational Safety and Health Administration enforces indoor-air-quality requirements only in health care facilities.David Michaels, an epidemiologist and a professor at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, said that he'd like to see a strong federal standard for indoor air quality but that such calls inevitably raise objections from the business community for reasons including cost.Two years into the pandemic, it's unclear how many office buildings, warehouses and other places of work have been retooled to meet ASHRAE's recommended upgrades. Recipients included homeless shelters, child care centers, churches, restaurants and other businesses.Although the department has run out of filters, staff members still provide free technical assistance, and the agency's website offers extensive guidance on improving indoor air quality, including instructions for turning box fans into low-cost air cleaners."We did not have an indoor air program before COVID began," said Shirlee Tan, a toxicologist for Public Health — Seattle & King County.