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L i s te n to T h e A B M P Po d c a s t a t a b m p.co m /p o d c a s t s o r w h e reve r yo u a cce s s yo u r favo r i te p o d c a s t s 61 Buying a humidifier for each room you occupy is a wise choice. You don't need to spend a whole lot to get a decent product. Expect to spend anywhere from $25 to $85, depending on size or quality. The brand I went with is Levoit, but Vicks, Crane, and Honeywell are consistently well-rated too (all sold in North America). Available brands may vary from continent to continent. Wash humidifiers regularly to prevent mold and mildew. How do you know it's working? You can easily monitor humidity levels in your rooms by using a hygrometer. These little sensors monitor relative humidity and ambient temperature. They can range from elegant brass fixtures to high-tech monitors. I have two little digital tiles by Govee that I affixed magnets to: one on my fridge and the other on my front door. Each were $10 and are Bluetooth capable, so they communicate to an app on my phone where I can easily see when I might need to refill or adjust the flow of my humidifiers. You can find them at any garden center or at your favorite online retailer. When it comes to temperature, we know that viruses and bacteria are held dormant in freezing temperatures. When they warm up, they "wake up" and reactivate. SARS-CoV-2 can stay stable and capable of transmission at temperatures below 40°C (104°F) for 3–16 hours and linger in active form for several days on surfaces. 14 The average outdoor CO2 level is around 250–400 parts per million (ppm). The average indoor space with "good" ventilation is about 500–1,000 ppm, so our goal is to get that number down as much as possible to match those outdoor levels. The best way to do that is by improving ventilation. Opening a window helps, but putting a fan in that window and blowing old air out is even better. Ideally, you would get another fan in another window to draw fresh air in. If you have the benefit of a built-in exhaust system, make sure it vents outside, instead of into your attic or crawl spaces. You want that old air out and fresh air in. GAUGE YOUR RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND TEMPERATURE The ideal humidity levels for infection control are between 40 percent and 60 percent, because the immune function of your lungs works best in that range. There is also evidence that suggests we sleep more deeply and restfully in environments with that level of humidity, and a well-rested body is one that fosters a healthy immune system. 10 We also know SARS-CoV-2 can last in the air for more than 24 hours in low humidity and temperatures. 11 Keeping our air in the 40–60 percent relative humidity range helps break those viral particles down. Once we increase the humidity up to 60–65 percent, the virus degrades in about 90 minutes. 12 Water vapor can make particles cluster together into droplets, and they tend to stay low and fall to the ground. However, when water evaporates, the particles they once housed dry out and are easily blown about, staying aloft and activated for hours or even days, depending on how well ventilated the space is. 13 For indoor spaces, a microclimate tailored for infection control will keep temperatures between 73–75°F (23° and 25°C), and with a relative humidity level of 60–65 percent. 15 To kill the virus using heat, you would need to expose the air and surfaces to 75°C (160°F) for three full minutes. 16 That could quickly get pretty uncomfortable, so it is best to use the combined approach of keeping the room at a slightly warmer than average temperature, with a higher level of relative humidity. DON'T GET SCAMMED ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT Most inexpensive germicidal ultraviolet disinfection (also called UVC) units also generate negative ions, which may increase ozone levels in your space. Ozone is damaging to the lungs, so if you decide to use a UVC lamp, make sure you and all ozone- and light-sensitive living things (like plants and animals) are always out of the room and that you always allow a full hour for the ozone to disperse. Do not use ozone generators in occupied spaces. When used at concentrations that do not exceed public health standards, ozone applied to indoor air does not effectively remove viruses, bacteria, mold, or other biological pollutants. 17 Anything left in the shadows while a UVC lamp is running will not be sanitized, so you may need a second or third lamp running concurrently. That amount of UVC exposure can easily damage fabric and surfaces in your space, and can bleach and degrade most materials over time. UVC wands are largely useless for the same reason they don't work in air purifier units: lack of exposure time. UVC needs a minimum of 20–30 minutes to deactivate viruses and kill microbes. You would need to move through the entire room in