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Hospital Air Purification
That Destroys Pathogens —
Not Just Captures Them

Iodine-catalyzed HEPA filtration for surgical suites, ICUs, isolation rooms, and critical care environments. Three-layer protection: physical capture + chemical neutralization + active biocidal inactivation.

ASHRAE 241 (2023) ASHRAE 170 CDC Healthcare Guidelines CMS & Joint Commission
99.9%
Pathogen Neutralization
≥99.97%
HEPA Efficiency
3-layer
Protection Mechanism
150+
Critical Facilities
The Science

Why Iodine-Catalyzed Filtration Outperforms Standard HEPA in Healthcare

Standard HEPA is passive — it physically traps particles but doesn't destroy what it captures. Iodine-catalyzed filtration is simultaneously a physical barrier, a chemical oxidizer, and an active biocidal agent.

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Physical Capture — HEPA-Grade Filtration

H13-grade micro-fine borosilicate glass-fiber media captures airborne particulate ≥99.97% at 0.3 micron under the DOP test method — the most penetrating particle size. This captures bacteria, fungal spores (Aspergillus), viral aerosols, and respiratory droplet nuclei.

02

Chemical Neutralization — Iodine Oxidation

Unlike standard HEPA, the filter medium is impregnated with active iodine species. These react with and chemically disrupt the cell walls and protein structures of bacteria and viruses on contact. Pathogens are chemically neutralized — not merely held on filter fibers where they could remain viable and re-aerosolize during filter handling.

03

Active Biocidal Inactivation — 99.9% Neutralization

The combined physical and chemical mechanism achieves 99.9% pathogen neutralization — significantly exceeding what passive HEPA achieves through capture alone. This is the clinically relevant metric: not how many particles are captured, but how many viable pathogens are returned to zero.

What Standard HEPA Cannot Do

Conventional HEPA filters capture microorganisms but leave them viable on filter surfaces for days to weeks. During routine filter changeout — which generates turbulence and disturbs the filter face — captured viable pathogens can re-aerosolize and expose maintenance personnel. Iodine-catalyzed media destroys captured organisms before changeout.

Compliance

ASHRAE 241 — Equivalent Clean Airflow for Your Facility

ASHRAE Standard 241 (Control of Infectious Aerosols, 2023) requires facilities to demonstrate Equivalent Clean Airflow (ECA) rates appropriate to occupancy type and headcount. We engineer and document ECA compliance for every space.

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ASHRAE 241 (2023)

Post-COVID infectious aerosol control standard. Iodine Air Systems calculates ECA requirements and installs systems that meet or exceed the required clean air delivery rate for each room type.

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ASHRAE 170

Ventilation of Health Care Facilities. Surgical suite, isolation room, NICU, and pharmacy airflow rate, pressure relationship, and filtration efficiency requirements.

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CDC Environmental Infection Control

CDC Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Health-Care Facilities. Air changes per hour, negative-pressure isolation, and immunocompromised patient protection requirements.

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CMS Conditions of Participation

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services facility requirements for hospital licensure and reimbursement eligibility. Compliance documentation available.

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Joint Commission Accreditation

Environment of Care (EC) and Infection Control (IC) standards for Joint Commission accredited facilities. Our systems are engineered to support EC and IC compliance documentation.

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EPA Indoor Air Quality

EPA indoor air quality guidelines for healthcare settings. Iodine Air Systems exceeds EPA filtration efficiency thresholds for occupant health protection.

Applications

Hospital Spaces We Protect

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Surgical Suites & Operating Rooms

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the leading HAI type by cost. ORs require positive pressure, ultra-clean HEPA supply, and minimum 20 ACH. Iodine-catalyzed filtration provides active pathogen destruction on the supply air stream before it reaches the sterile field.

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ICU & Critical Care

Critically ill patients with compromised immune function are acutely vulnerable to opportunistic airborne pathogens — Aspergillus fumigatus, resistant gram-negative organisms, and viral respiratory infections. Ultra-high-efficiency filtration with active biocidal action provides the deepest available layer of airborne protection.

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Negative-Pressure Isolation Rooms

Airborne infection isolation (AII) rooms for TB, COVID-19, and other airborne-transmissible diseases require ≥12 ACH and true negative pressure. Exhaust air must be HEPA-filtered before re-circulation or building exhaust. Our units provide both requirements in a single installation.

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NICU — Neonatal Intensive Care

Neonates in the NICU have no established immune response. Even low concentrations of airborne fungal spores or viral particles can cause systemic infections. Iodine-catalyzed filtration provides the highest available airborne protection for this critical population.

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Emergency Departments

EDs see undifferentiated patients with unknown diagnoses, including active infectious disease. High patient throughput in open-plan environments creates significant aerosol accumulation risk. ASHRAE 241 ECA compliance is particularly important in high-occupancy ED waiting areas.

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Compounding Pharmacies & Clean Rooms

USP 795, 797, and 800 compounding pharmacy standards mandate ISO Class 5 to Class 8 environments. Our systems are engineered to maintain cleanroom classification through high-efficiency HEPA filtration and active particulate neutralization.

FAQ

Hospital Air Purification — Frequently Asked Questions

How does ASHRAE 241 Equivalent Clean Airflow (ECA) differ from traditional air changes per hour (ACH)?
Traditional ACH measures total air movement through a space but doesn't account for filtration efficiency or recirculated clean air. ASHRAE 241's ECA concept credits high-efficiency filtration systems with providing "equivalent" clean air delivery beyond mechanical ventilation alone. A room with high-efficiency filtration running in recirculation mode can achieve the same effective clean air delivery as a higher ACH rate with standard ventilation — this is the credit that ASHRAE 241 allows facilities to claim with documented high-efficiency filtration systems like ours.
Is iodine-catalyzed filtration safe for patients and staff?
Yes. The iodine in the filter medium is bound within the filter matrix and is not released into the airstream during normal operation. Exhaust air from iodine-catalyzed filtration systems contains no iodine species at measurable concentrations in air quality testing. The active iodine remains within the filter and is only in contact with airborne particles that pass through the media — it does not off-gas into the facility air supply.
Can Iodine Air Systems retrofit into an existing hospital HVAC system?
Yes. Our systems are custom-engineered to your existing HVAC airflow specifications, duct sizing, and static pressure budget. We work with your facilities management team and HVAC engineer to integrate iodine-catalyzed filtration modules into existing air handling units (AHUs) without requiring full system replacement. We provide pre-installation engineering calculations and post-installation commissioning verification for compliance documentation.
How long do filter elements last in a hospital environment, and what does replacement involve?
Filter service life varies by airflow volume, particulate loading, and space classification. We provide facility-specific maintenance schedules during commissioning. Filter replacement is performed by your facilities maintenance team following our written procedure. Iodine-catalyzed media, unlike standard HEPA, does not require the same level of respiratory protection during changeout because captured organisms have been inactivated — reducing maintenance personnel exposure risk during filter handling.

Request a Hospital Air Purification Consultation

Our engineering team calculates your ASHRAE 241 ECA requirements and designs a system to meet your compliance and infection control goals.