An assessment of effectiveness of cleaning critical surfaces in elementary schools

Richard Shaughnessy, Ulla Haverinen-Shaughnessy, Greg Whiteley, Nisha Shakila, Eugene Cole

    Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperConference Paperpeer-review

    Abstract

    ![CDATA[Inadequate cleaning and maintenance practices in schools, compounded by the effects of emerging infectious disease agents, can put students' health at increased risk. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a useful tool for establishing pre- and post-cleaning residual surface contamination on high contact surfaces. Fluorescent markers (FM) are also used frequently in the cleaning industry as a means to determine whether or not a surface has been "touched" as an indication of thoroughness of cleaning. This paper provides parallel pre- and post-cleaning data of FM pass (FM removed) and FM fail (FM still present after cleaning) tests on surfaces, as compared to % reduction in ATP values from 34 schools (17 control and 17 study schools) over a one year school period. Based on these preliminary results, using a FM may not necessarily relate to a reduction in ATP residual on the surface, and thus may serve as an efficiency measure of cleanliness without indicating cleaning effectiveness.]]
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationIndoor Air 2014, Hong Kong: Exploring Indoor Air Sciences for a Sustainable Built Environment: Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, July 7-July 12, 2014
    PublisherInternational Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate
    Pages717-721
    Number of pages5
    ISBN (Print)9781634397315
    Publication statusPublished - 2014
    EventInternational Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate -
    Duration: 7 Jul 2014 → …

    Conference

    ConferenceInternational Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate
    Period7/07/14 → …

    Keywords

    • absenteeism
    • adenosine triphosphate
    • air quality
    • cleanliness
    • school buildings

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