Volatilization and disinfection efficacy of gaseous hypochlorous acid from an air washer-type humidifier in a large space.

An air washer-type humidifier has two useful functions: humidification, and air purification, and it applies to large indoor spaces. In this study, the efficacy of an air washer-type humidifier fed with 24 L of weakly acidic electrolyzed water（WAEW) at pH 5.0 and 30 mg/L in disinfecting attached bacteria and airborne microorganisms was studied in a 480 indoor space. The humidifier was operated at a shower volume of 9.0 L/min of WAEW and at an air flow rate of 29 /min. Volatilization of gaseous hypochlorous acid（HOCl) proceeded according to first-order kinetics during the 60 min of operation. Fresh WAEW was supplied to the humidifier every 60 min, and the HOCl concentration in the indoor space was maintained within the range of 25-52 ppb for at least 180 min of operation. The number of viable bacterial cells on wet agar plates placed on the floor at a distance of 5-20 m away from the humidifier decreased by 2.0-3.0 log after 30 min of operation, and no viable cells were detected after 60 min of operation. A logarithmic reduction of more than 2.7 was achieved within 15 min against bacteria-attached plates placed at a 1.5 m-height position where the outlet airflow from the humidifier was directly exposed. This indicates that the disinfection efficacy of HOCl volatilized from the humidifier depends on the rate of outlet airflow reaching the bacteria-attached plates. The number of viable airborne microorganisms decreased by approximately 54% after 180 min of operation. This study demonstrated that an air-washer-type humidifier can spread HOCl evenly throughout a large indoor space and is effective in disinfecting attached bacteria and airborne microorganisms.