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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Huzaifah Abdul Wahab, Murnira Othman, Muhammad Ikram A. Wahab, Azarinah Izaham, Rufinah Teo, Siti Nidzwani Mohamad Mahdi
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Abstract
Introduction: The BIOBASE biological isolation chamber (BBIC) was used to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 transmission during transport of COVID-19 patients. We aim to study the effectiveness of BBIC in limiting the spread of aerosol during static transport amongst healthcare workers.
Methods: Nebulised saline 0.9% was generated to saturate aerosolised particles within the BBIC placed within a constructed outer enclosure. Negative pressure was activated and particulate matter (PM), PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were measured over 60 minutes using sensors placed inside (Cin) and outside (Cout) the BBIC. Control, closed ports, and open port models were developed to assess the effectiveness of the BBIC in containing and evacuating aerosolised particles. The ratio of measured Cin to Cout, designated as Fiso, (Fiso = Cin/ Cout) was derived.
Results: The differences in Fiso value of PM10 compared to PM2.5 in the closed-ports test were significant at minute 15 and 25 (p < 0.001, respectively). The differences in Fiso value of PM10 compared to PM2.5 in the open-ports test were significant at minute 15 (p < 0.001), suggesting that both the closed- and open-ports tests effectively contained the PM10 compared to PM2.5 aerosolised particles. The Fiso negatively correlated with time for the open-ports (r = -0.79, p = 0.035) and closed-ports tests (r = -0.79, p = 0.035) for PM10.
Conclusions: The closed and open BBIC ports effectively contain and evacuate PM10 aerosolised particles during simulation of static transport of COVID-19 patients. The BBIC contains and evacuates PM10 more effectively than PM2.5 aerosolised particles.
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