Editing Ventilation (architecture) (section)

==Airborne diseases==
Natural ventilation is a key factor in reducing the spread of airborne illnesses such as tuberculosis, the common cold, influenza, meningitis or COVID-19.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Natural Ventilation for Infection Control in Health-Care Settings |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK143284/pdf/Bookshelf_NBK143284.pdf |access-date=2021-07-05 |publisher=World Health Organization (WHO), 2009}}</ref> Opening doors and windows are good ways to maximize natural ventilation, which would make the risk of airborne contagion much lower than with costly and maintenance-requiring mechanical systems. Old-fashioned clinical areas with high ceilings and large windows provide the greatest protection. Natural ventilation costs little and is maintenance-free, and is particularly suited to limited-resource settings and tropical climates, where the burden of TB and institutional TB transmission is highest. In settings where respiratory isolation is difficult and climate permits, windows and doors should be opened to reduce the risk of airborne contagion. Natural ventilation requires little maintenance and is inexpensive.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Escombe |first1=A. R. |last2=Oeser |first2=C. C. |last3=Gilman |first3=R. H. |title=Natural ventilation for the prevention of airborne contagion |journal=PLOS Med |year=2007 |volume=4 |issue=68 |pages=e68 |doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0040068|pmid=17326709 |pmc=1808096 |display-authors=etal |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Natural ventilation is not practical in much of the infrastructure because of climate. This means that the facilities need to have effective mechanical ventilation systems and or use Ceiling Level UV or FAR UV ventilation systems.

Ventilation is measured in terms of air changes per hour (ACH). {{As of|2023}}, the CDC recommends that all spaces have a minimum of 5 ACH.<ref>Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) {{Cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/improving-ventilation-in-buildings.html |title=Improving Ventilation In Buildings|date=11 February 2020 }}</ref> For hospital rooms with airborne contagions the CDC recommends a minimum of 12 ACH.<ref>Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) {{Cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/environmental/appendix/air.html |title=Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Health-Care Facilities|date=22 July 2019 }}</ref> Challenges in facility ventilation are public unawareness,<ref>Dr. Edward A. Nardell Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School {{Cite web|url=https://time.com/6143799/covid-19-indoor-air-cleaning |title=If We're Going to Live With COVID-19, It's Time to Clean Our Indoor Air Properly |date=February 2022 |publisher=Time}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/177405/3/Paradigm%20Shift%20AAM.pdf |title=A Paradigm Shift to Combat Indoor Respiratory Infection - 21st century|publisher=University of Leeds}}, Morawska, L, Allen, J, Bahnfleth, W et al. (36 more authors) (2021) A paradigm shift to combat indoor respiratory infection. Science, 372 (6543). pp. 689-691. ISSN 0036-8075</ref> ineffective government oversight, poor building codes that are based on comfort levels, poor system operations, poor maintenance, and lack of transparency.<ref>Video {{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18puSM5Pmq8 |title=Building Ventilation What Everyone Should Know|website=[[YouTube]] |date=17 June 2022 }}</ref> 

Pressure, both political and economic, to improve energy conservation has led to decreased ventilation rates. [[Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning]] rates have dropped since the [[energy crisis]] in the 1970s and the [[Smoking ban|banning of cigarette smoke]] in the 1980s and 1990s.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2014-08/documents/mudarri.pdf |title=Public Health Consequences and Cost of Climate Change Impacts on Indoor Environments |last=Mudarri |first=David |date=January 2010 |publisher=The Indoor Environments Division, Office of Radiation and Indoor Air, [[U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]] |pages=38–39, 63}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Climate Change a Systems Perspective |url=https://www.cassbeth.com/climate-change/index.html |website=Cassbeth}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=July 2024}}