COVID-19 and Schools

MSU Partners with UV Angel to Install Air-Cleansing Solutions

• By Matt Jones
• 03/18/21

Michigan State University has partnered with pathogen control technology vendor UV Angel to install UV Angel Clean Air units around the MSU campus. They have already been added to busy areas like the Olin Health Center and Wonders Hall, and they’re scheduled for installation soon in campus athletic facilities. The goal is to foster cleaner, safer environments for students and faculty as they return to campus during (and after) the coronavirus pandemic.

The technology uses ultraviolet light that can neutralize up to 99.99% of ambient bacteria, viruses, and fungi in the air or on various surfaces. It operates while spaces are occupied to eliminate potential infections at the immediate time and place of the potential contamination, before it gets the opportunity to spread. Originally developed for use in healthcare environments, the solutions can run continuously and independently, 24/7.

“Our main priority is to keep our Spartan family safe,” said Dan Bollman, MSU’s VP in charge of facilities. “From mandatory, on-campus COVID-19 testing to enhanced cleaning and safety measures, we have been doing everything we can to protect our campus community during the pandemic. Installing new air purifying technology is another way we’re investing in improving safety for our students, staff, faculty, and visitors.”

In contrast to large-scale solutions like building-wide HVAC units, the UV Angel solutions were designed to prevent person-to-person contamination within a smaller field of influence. It sucks in air from (potentially poorly ventilated) indoor spaces and treats it with highly concentrated UV light, neutralizing any potential threats at the source.

“Universities by their nature are designed for people to congregate. That creates challenges where diseases are spread person to person,” said UV Angel CEO Tom Byrne. “Just like we see during the cold and flu season, it is critical to understand that people are the major source of contamination and disease transmission. The recent pandemic continues to highlight the need to add engineered, source-level controls at the point where contamination is occurring. Michigan State is among leading universities in the country to install technology on campus that adds an important layer of protection against infection for students, faculty, and visitors on campus.”