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How much should I worry about coronavirus in the air leftover in unventilated spaces, after people have left? I live in an apartment building with no HVAC (boiler heat and no AC). People sometimes linger in the hallway in front of my door to have conversations, and everyone passes through to get to their units. I wear a mask in the hall, but nobody else does. I am concerned the droplets may be entering my apartment when I open my door (or even through the cracks around the door). Could this be enough to lead to infection? If so, would an air purifier help or would it be breathed in sooner than it can be filtered out. Thanks!
One way to improve indoor air quality is to allow for fresh air (from outside) to come into the indoor space, as opposed to re-circulating the indoor air. So, opening of windows and doors to the outdoors is good, except that in a heat of summer this could be a very limited option. Another way to improve the indoor air quality is to filter the air, such as using HEPA filters. Meanwhile, wearing a mask in the indoors hallway is a good idea since you recognize that the air is stagnant (little “fresh” air) and potentially contaminated.
The last thing that can be done is to disinfect the air, through the use of upper-room germicidal ultraviolet (UV) light which can deactivate viruses and bacteria in the air. This type of disinfection has been used in tuberculosis wards for many decades. The UV lights are aimed at the upper room and ceiling because some forms of UV light can cause irritation and damage to the eyes and skin under long-term exposure. An industrial hygiene expert is usually needed to help design and install UV fixtures for commercial and residential usage.
