DFW AIRPORT, Texas – Oct. 1, 2020 – Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport is committed to ensuring every person at the Airport can be confident it is “Clean. Safe. Ready.”
In support of that promise, the DFW Airport Board during its October 2020 meeting unanimously approved a $5.4 million plan to install Ultraviolet C (UV-C) light technology in the Airport’s existing indoor heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. The installation of this innovative technology will improve the air quality in Terminals A, B, D and E, as well as the Rental Car Center. Phase 1 of the project is expected to be completed by Thanksgiving and calls for installing the Ultraviolet C (UV-C) in the air conditioning systems at security checkpoints and ticket counters.
It is the latest in enhanced efforts by the Airport in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ultraviolet light technology aligns with innovative projects like the touchless technology in Smart Restrooms and targeted sanitization by cleaning Strike Teams throughout all five terminals. Recently DFW earned the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR Accreditation, demonstrating that the Airport is implementing the industry’s highest standards for cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention.
“The use of UV-C light technology, combined with other health and safety protocols the Airport has implemented, significantly reduces the exposure risk to passengers and employees in the terminals and prevents the spread of the virus, further demonstrating DFW’s commitment to the health and well-being of our customers,” said Sean Donohue, CEO of DFW Airport.
With the addition of the new HVAC sanitization technology, UV-C – also known as germicidal irradiation – will be installed in a moving airstream inside the air handling units with more intensity than typically used. The technology effectively eliminated an airborne coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) during testing by destroying the outer protein coating of the coronavirus.
The benefit will be immediate. Eradication of aerosolized virus particles is expected to be as high as 99.9 percent once the system is installed. And, it’s safe. The UV-C lamps will be installed in the air handling units directly, so employees and customers will not be exposed directly to the UV-C light. Because the UV-C light is being installed in all large air handling units, almost all public and non-public spaces will circulate air treated by the UV-C systems.
The use of UV-C light technology, combined with other health and safety practices underway at DFW Airport, such as social distancing, the use of face coverings; and increased janitorial sanitization practices, significantly reduces the exposure risk to passengers and spread of the virus.
For more information on DFW Airport’s response to COVID-19: http://04z6p.cf-power.com/dfwready/index.php.