Standard Practice to Assess Microbial Decontamination of Indoor Air using an Aerobiology Chamber

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This practice is to help in the development of protocols to assess the survival, removal and/or inactivation of human pathogens or their surrogates in indoor air. It accommodates the testing of technologies based on physical (for example, UV light) and chemical agents (for example, vaporized hydrogen peroxide) or simple microbial removal by air filtration or a combination thereof.  
5.2 While this practice is designed primarily for work with aerobic, mesophilic vegetative bacteria, it can be readily adapted to handle other classes of microbial pathogens or their surrogates.  
5.3 The pieces of equipment given here are as examples only. Other similar devices may be used as appropriate.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice is to assess technologies for microbial decontamination of indoor air using a sealed, room-sized chamber (~24 m3) as recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (3). The test microbe is aerosolized inside the chamber where a fan uniformly mixes the aerosols and keeps them airborne. Samples of the air are collected and assayed, firstly to determine the rates of physical and biological decay of the test microbe, and then to assess the air decontaminating activity of the technology under test as log10 or percentage reductions in viability per m3 (1). The air temperature and relative humidity (RH) in the chamber are measured and recorded during each test.  
1.2 The chamber can be used to assess microbial survival in indoor air as well as to test the ability of physical (for example, ultraviolet light) and chemical agents (for example, vaporized hydrogen peroxide) to inactivate representative pathogens or their surrogates in indoor air.  
1.3 This practice does not cover testing of microbial contamination introduced into the chamber as a dry powder.  
1.4 This practice does not cover work with human pathogenic viruses, which require additional safety and technical considerations.  
1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.6 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

General Information

Status
Published
Publication Date
14-Oct-2021
Current Stage
Ref Project

Buy Standard

Standard
ASTM E3273-21 - Standard Practice to Assess Microbial Decontamination of Indoor Air using an Aerobiology Chamber
English language
8 pages
sale 15% off
Preview
sale 15% off
Preview

Standards Content (Sample)

This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
Designation: E3273 − 21
Standard Practice to
Assess Microbial Decontamination of Indoor Air using an
1
Aerobiology Chamber
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E3273; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision.Anumber in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
INTRODUCTION
Indoor air normally contains a variety of microbes released from animate and inanimate sources
2
(1). Exposuretoairbornemicrobescanoccureitherdirectlybyinhalationorbycontactwithsurfaces
and objects where airborne particles have settled (2). Such exposure can lead to infections or allergic
reactions, and microbial decontamination of indoor air can reduce the risk of exposure to potentially
harmfulmicrobes.Whilemanydevicesforindoorairdecontaminationareeitheralreadyonthemarket
or under development, the continuing absence of suitable test protocols makes their claims difficult to
assess. This practice gives the design, construction and operation of an economical and versatile
aerobiology chamber to test technologies for a temporary reduction in the number of viable microbes
in indoor air.
1. Scope 1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
1.1 This practice is to assess technologies for microbial
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
decontamination of indoor air using a sealed, room-sized
3 priate safety, health, and environmental practices and deter-
chamber(~24m )asrecommendedbytheU.S.Environmental
mine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
Protection Agency (3). The test microbe is aerosolized inside
1.6 This international standard was developed in accor-
the chamber where a fan uniformly mixes the aerosols and
dance with internationally recognized principles on standard-
keeps them airborne. Samples of the air are collected and
ization established in the Decision on Principles for the
assayed,firstlytodeterminetheratesofphysicalandbiological
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recom-
decay of the test microbe, and then to assess the air decon-
mendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical
taminating activity of the technology under test as log or
10
3
Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
percentage reductions in viability per m (1). The air tempera-
ture and relative humidity (RH) in the chamber are measured
2. Referenced Documents
and recorded during each test.
3
2.1 ASTM Standards:
1.2 Thechambercanbeusedtoassessmicrobialsurvivalin
D1129Terminology Relating to Water
indoorairaswellastotesttheabilityofphysical(forexample,
D1193Specification for Reagent Water
ultraviolet light) and chemical agents (for example, vaporized
E2756Terminology Relating toAntimicrobial andAntiviral
hydrogen peroxide) to inactivate representative pathogens or
Agents
their surrogates in indoor air.
E2197Quantitative Disk Carrier Test Method for Determin-
1.3 This practice does not cover testing of microbial con-
ing Bactericidal, Virucidal, Fungicidal, Mycobactericidal,
tamination introduced into the chamber as a dry powder.
and Sporicidal Activities of Chemicals
1.4 This practice does not cover work with human patho-
3. Terminology
genic viruses, which require additional safety and technical
considerations.
3.1 For definitions of general terms used in this practice,
refer to Terminologies D1129 and E2756.
1
This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E35 on
Pesticides, Antimicrobials, and Alternative Control Agents and is the direct
responsibility of Subcommittee E35.15 on Antimicrobial Agents.
3
Current edition approved Oct. 15, 2021. Published November 2021. DOI: For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
10.1520/E3273-21. contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM
2
The boldface numbers in parentheses refer to a list of references at the end of Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on
this standard. the ASTM website.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States
1

---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
E3273 − 21
3.2 Definitions: the aerosols and keeps them airborne. An air sample is
3.2.1 nebulizer—a device used to create an aerosol from a collected using a slit-to-agar (STA) sampler to determine the
liquid. initial level of microbial contamination.
3.2.2 soil load, n—a solution of one o
...

Questions, Comments and Discussion

Ask us and Technical Secretary will try to provide an answer. You can facilitate discussion about the standard in here.