Objectives: The primary objective is create novel knowledge and experimental data to model the generation and short range distribution of airborne microbial pollutant from human activities and integrate it into numerical models for performing human exposure risk assessment.
Expected Results: A comprehensive experimental protocol for characterizing the generation and short range distribution of airborne microbial particles in operating rooms during real-time operation and in a realistic, full-scale operating room laboratory setting; Measurement results of the generation and short range distribution of airborne microbial pollutants resulting from various human activities in hospital environments; A series of models that will be derived from experimental measurement to characterize the different sources of airborne microbial particles in hospital operating room environments; A validated numerical model that simulates the generation and short range distribution of airborne microbial pollutants resulting from human activities in operating room environments; Evaluation results of the exposure risk of patient and surgical staff associated with airborne microbial pollutants in healthcare environments by considering various factors such as source
strength, generation and distribution patterns, indoor airflow pattern and ventilation systems.