title: The surface emissions trap: a new approach in indoor air purification.
abstract: A new device for stopping or reducing potentially irritating or harmful emissions from surfaces indoors is described. The device is a surface emissions trap prototype and consists of an adsorbent sheet with a semipermeable barrier surrounded by two thin nonwoven layers. The trap may be applied directly at the source of the emissions e.g. at moisture-affected floors and walls, surfaces contaminated by chemical spills etc. This results in an immediate stop or reduction of the emitting pollutants. The trap has a very low water vapor resistance thus allowing drying of wet surfaces. In laboratory experiments typically 98% reduction of air concentrations of volatile organic compounds and a virtually total reduction of mold particle-associated mycotoxins was observed. The surface emissions trap may represent a convenient and efficient way of restoring indoor environments polluted by microbial and other moisture-associated emissions.
authors.affiliation: Lund University, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Medical Microbiology, Sölvegatan 23, SE-22362 Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Pawel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Markowicz
authors.forename: Lennart
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Larsson
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D061808:Air Filters; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000517:prevention & control*; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds