How to Reduce Airborne Pathogens in Indoor Spaces: A New Standard for IAQ

GARDENA, CA (February 22, 2022) - LUV Systems, Inc. today announced a new analytical framework for evaluating airborne infection risk in indoor environments, as outlined in its scientific paper, “Preventing Respiratory Infections.” The work introduces a practical, time-based metric designed to better inform building operators, policymakers, and investors on the effectiveness of indoor air quality solutions.

While traditional measures such as air changes per hour (ACH) are commonly used to characterize ventilation and airborne pathogen mitigation, they do not directly correlate with infection risk or time to exposure. LUV Systems’ research highlights the need for more actionable metrics that account for real-world variables, including occupant behavior, environmental conditions, and pathogen infectivity.

To address this gap, LUV Systems has developed the Airborne Pathogen Mitigation Index (APMI) - a normalized, non-dimensional metric designed to quantify relative airborne infection risk in indoor spaces. Unlike existing indoor air quality indices, which focus primarily on carbon dioxide levels, chemical contaminants, or comfort factors, APMI is specifically designed to evaluate infection risk from airborne pathogens.

The APMI scale ranges from 0 to 10, representing increasing levels of protection against cross-transmission of respiratory infections:

• 0 reflects minimal mitigation (baseline conditions);
• 10 represents the highest level of protection under modeled conditions.

The index incorporates both pathogen dose delivery and exposure duration, enabling a direct correlation with time-to-infection scenarios. It is calibrated across exposure durations ranging from short-term interactions (~15 minutes, consistent with CDC close-contact guidelines) to extended occupancy (8+ hours).

The underlying model defines APMI as:

APMI = [1.13 × (time to infection in minutes / 60)] – 0.283

This formulation provides a practical tool for comparing indoor environments and evaluating the effectiveness of mitigation strategies, including advanced air disinfection technologies. Initial modeling is based on non-variant SARS-CoV-2 and serves as a foundation for future adaptations across pathogens and environments.

LUV Systems’ introduction of APMI represents a strategic extension of its technology platform, positioning the company not only as a product innovator but also as a contributor to the scientific and standards framework for indoor air quality and infection control.