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Anair sanitizer is asanitizer that acts on airbornemicroorganisms, includingbacteria,fungi, andviruses, in households, institutions, and/or commercial environments.
Unlikeair purifiers, which filter or otherwise trap particles within an air circulator, air sanitizers act on airborne microorganisms in open interior air space.[1] Asneeze- orcough-generatedpathogenicaerosol will take significant time to be treated by a circulating air purifier simply because air circulators are unable to treat all air in the room simultaneously.[2] Air circulators treat a fractional roomvolume per unit time and exhaust the treated air back into the room, resulting in fractional air dilution. By contrast, air sanitizers that are maintained at a sufficient andhomogeneous concentration within the interior air space provide simultaneous treatment of the entire interior air space volume but are not able to remove particles, includingallergens. Air purifiers and air sanitizers are therefore complementary air treatment solutions. Air sanitizers are notair fresheners, which addfragrance to the air.
Thevapors of someglycols, includingtriethylene glycol, can act as an air sanitizer. According to theUnited States Environmental Protection Agency, "There is considerable evidence that glycol vapors produce significant decreases in numbers of viable airborne bacteria under relatively wide conditions ofrelative humidity andtemperature when properly and continuously dispensed by a vaporizing device so as to maintain suitable concentrations in the air in enclosed spaces."[3]
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