Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (Canada) have opened a new engineering lab to design a ventilation system that could protect schools, hospitals, and other public buildings from chemical warfare and bioterrorist attacks.
 

The Early Warning and Response system (eWAR) addresses what engineering dean and lead researcher Janusz Kozinski views as major threats to public safety — the release of noxious chemicals and bio-agents into public buildings either accidentally through industrial spills or purposely through bioterrorist assaults that target ventilation systems. It could also address the threat of outbreaks by detecting diseases, such as chickenpox and tuberculosis, before they spread through a hospital’s air vents. The new lab-scale set-up includes a model Heat Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system that runs different simulations of potential building contamination scenarios. Using the model HVAC system, Kozinski and his colleagues will further investigate how humidity, air pressure, wind, and temperature influence the spread of noxious fumes and biochemical agents. The lab’s research will help determine how eWAR can both filter harmful agents out of the air and activate warnings when airborne contaminants reach a critical density. In its current design, eWAR quickly notifies building residents about potential threats and conserves energy by only activating in times of potential crisis.
 

According to the organization’s press release, once fully developed, eWAR is expected to fill a gap in the bio-defence marketplace, where maintaining bio-security in public buildings is not economically feasible using current technologies. An integrated eWAR system could make detecting the myriad chemicals and bio-agents part of normal security procedures, essentially creating “immune buildings.” The eWAR project is a research consortium formed by the University of Saskatchewan, McGill University, Concordia University, the Biotechnology Research Institute, the Directorate of Public Health of Montreal, UV-Sterisource, and ALERT B & C.