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Volume 20
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Article

Decreased Respiratory-Related Absenteeism among Preschool Students after Installation of Upper Room Germicidal Ultraviolet Light: Analysis of Newly Discovered Historical Data

by
Christopher W. Ryan
1,2
1
Binghamton Clinical Campus, SUNY Upstate Medical University, 48 Corliss Avenue, Johnson City, NY 13790, USA
2
Broome County Health Department, 225 Front Street, Binghamton, NY 13905, USA
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2536; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032536
Submission received: 21 November 2022 / Revised: 6 January 2023 / Accepted: 9 January 2023 / Published: 31 January 2023
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health Issues under Regular Epidemic Prevention and Control)
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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought renewed urgency to air disinfection. Upper room germicidal ultraviolet light (GUV) disinfects room air very efficiently. Its effect on practical outcomes in public settings remains unclear, but history may provide some insights. An interrupted time series model was fitted to a newly discovered dataset of attendance records from a preschool between 1941 to 1949, where GUV was installed in December 1945. GUV was associated with a sizable reduction in child absenteeism due to respiratory illnesses of any cause. Odds ratios for the effect ranged from 0.5 to 0.77, depending on the season. In all but high summer, model-predicted absenteeism rates were reduced by between a third and a half by GUV. Wider use of upper room germicidal UV systems in schools and preschools may be worthwhile, to reduce absenteeism due to respiratory illness and the educational, social, and economic consequences that ensue.
Keywords: germicidal ultraviolet light; upper room germicidal irradiation; preschool; absenteeism; respiratory infection germicidal ultraviolet light; upper room germicidal irradiation; preschool; absenteeism; respiratory infection

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ryan, C.W. Decreased Respiratory-Related Absenteeism among Preschool Students after Installation of Upper Room Germicidal Ultraviolet Light: Analysis of Newly Discovered Historical Data. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 2536. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032536

AMA Style

Ryan CW. Decreased Respiratory-Related Absenteeism among Preschool Students after Installation of Upper Room Germicidal Ultraviolet Light: Analysis of Newly Discovered Historical Data. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023; 20(3):2536. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032536

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ryan, Christopher W. 2023. "Decreased Respiratory-Related Absenteeism among Preschool Students after Installation of Upper Room Germicidal Ultraviolet Light: Analysis of Newly Discovered Historical Data" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20, no. 3: 2536. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032536

APA Style

Ryan, C. W. (2023). Decreased Respiratory-Related Absenteeism among Preschool Students after Installation of Upper Room Germicidal Ultraviolet Light: Analysis of Newly Discovered Historical Data. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(3), 2536. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032536

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