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Introduction <p>Particulate matter (PM) contains ambient bioaerosols and pathogenic microorganisms, which may exacerbate the risk of infectious respiratory health issues upon inhalation. Subway stations, where passengers are crowded in enclosed spaces with limited ventilation, are contaminated with microorganism-containing PM that can potentially contribute to the spread of infectious diseases.</p> Methods <p>In this study, antimicrobial prefilters and efficiency particulate air (EPA) filters with various stacking configurations were applied to air purifiers installed on a subway platform to compare the microbe reduction rates. After operation for one and two weeks of collection, the microbial counts in the different filter-stacking configurations were analyzed.</p> Results and Discussion <p>The antimicrobial prefilter/antimicrobial EPA filter set exhibited the highest overall reduction rate compared to the control filter set, achieving 85.88% after one week and 82.03% after two weeks of operation. Its biocidal efficacy was also exhibited in a chamber test using MS2, showing a more rapid reduction in MS2 concentration compared to the control. In addition, the analysis of cultivable microorganisms suggested that the antimicrobial prefilters as well as antimicrobial EPA filters have microbial inactivation effect. Incorporating antimicrobial properties into prefilters not only to the main filters would be beneficial to reduce the overall microbial load captured by air purifier filtration systems. This is because a portion of microbe-laden PM is trapped in the prefilters of the platform air purifier. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the extraction-based assessments of antimicrobial filters may not explicitly reflect the immediate microbial inactivation, therefore, a concurrent evaluation of indoor bioaerosol removal efficiency, using bioaerosol sampling followed by cultivation, may be considered a prerequisite.</p> Conclusion <p>This field study provides preliminary insights into the effectiveness of antimicrobial prefilters and antimicrobial EPA filters under real-world conditions, and suggests that the use of low-cost, replaceable antimicrobial prefilters may offer a practical approach to reducing microbial load in high-density spaces.</p> Graphical Abstract <p>Figa</p> <p></p>

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Effect of Antimicrobial Filters on Microbial Reduction in an Underground Subway Station

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年11月7日

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  • Sangwon Ko,
  • Ki Hoon Park,
  • Jae-Young Lee,
  • Young Bong Kim

摘要

Introduction

Particulate matter (PM) contains ambient bioaerosols and pathogenic microorganisms, which may exacerbate the risk of infectious respiratory health issues upon inhalation. Subway stations, where passengers are crowded in enclosed spaces with limited ventilation, are contaminated with microorganism-containing PM that can potentially contribute to the spread of infectious diseases.

Methods

In this study, antimicrobial prefilters and efficiency particulate air (EPA) filters with various stacking configurations were applied to air purifiers installed on a subway platform to compare the microbe reduction rates. After operation for one and two weeks of collection, the microbial counts in the different filter-stacking configurations were analyzed.

Results and Discussion

The antimicrobial prefilter/antimicrobial EPA filter set exhibited the highest overall reduction rate compared to the control filter set, achieving 85.88% after one week and 82.03% after two weeks of operation. Its biocidal efficacy was also exhibited in a chamber test using MS2, showing a more rapid reduction in MS2 concentration compared to the control. In addition, the analysis of cultivable microorganisms suggested that the antimicrobial prefilters as well as antimicrobial EPA filters have microbial inactivation effect. Incorporating antimicrobial properties into prefilters not only to the main filters would be beneficial to reduce the overall microbial load captured by air purifier filtration systems. This is because a portion of microbe-laden PM is trapped in the prefilters of the platform air purifier. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the extraction-based assessments of antimicrobial filters may not explicitly reflect the immediate microbial inactivation, therefore, a concurrent evaluation of indoor bioaerosol removal efficiency, using bioaerosol sampling followed by cultivation, may be considered a prerequisite.

Conclusion

This field study provides preliminary insights into the effectiveness of antimicrobial prefilters and antimicrobial EPA filters under real-world conditions, and suggests that the use of low-cost, replaceable antimicrobial prefilters may offer a practical approach to reducing microbial load in high-density spaces.

Graphical Abstract

Figa