In its ongoing effort to provide facility professionals with the latest research related to the science of cleaning and the restoration of the built environment, the Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI) today announced it will host “Aerosols, Fomites and Indoor Air Quality: What Research Says About the Impact of Cleaning on Health,” a three-part webinar series presented by researchers at three of the country’s top academic institutions.  

“People want to know how the products and processes used indoors will impact their overall health and wellness,” said John Downey, CIRI Executive Director. “This is a demand that has undoubtedly been accelerated by the pandemic. As we arrive at the new normal, this educational series is designed to equip attendees with the knowledge and research they need to maintain clean and healthy buildings.” 

With concerns over indoor air quality, ventilation and surface cleaning, property managers and building owners are ramping up programs to improve the overall health and wellness of their portfolios. This is a practice that has proven to pay off. A recent study found that commercial buildings with healthy building practices in place received higher rental rates—a premium of as much as 7 percent.

Designed to help meet the growing demand for healthy buildings, CIRI’s new webinar series will kick off on April 15. Researchers will discuss what research says about virus transmission indoors, surface and air cleaning, and how cleaning products can impact indoor air quality. 

The schedule for CIRI’s 2020-21 “Aerosols, Fomites and Indoor Air Quality: What Research Says About the Impact of Cleaning on Health” webinar series is as follows: 

• WEBINAR 1: “Environmental Persistence and Transmissibility of Respiratory Viruses: A Laboratory Perspective," presented by Karen Kormuth, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology at Bethany College. This webinar will take place on Thursday, Apr 15, 2021, at 1:00 PM EDT.
• WEBINAR 2: “Surface Cleaning, Air Cleaning and Indoor Air Quality: Expect the Unexpected," presented by Douglas B. Collins, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Bucknell University. This webinar will take place on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, at 1:00 PM EDT.

• WEBINAR 3: “What’s in Your Cleaner and Why Should You Care?," presented by Kerry Kinney, Ph.D. & Pawel Misztal, Ph.D., Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. This webinar will take place on Wednesday, June 24 2021, at 1:00 PM EDT.

Video recordings will be available for those who register but are unable to attend the webinars live. Continuing education credits are available for each webinar and attendees will receive a certificate of attendance. 

Registration cost for the entire “COVID-19: The Second Wave” series of three webinars is $199 for non-CIRI members; individual webinars are $99 each. CIRI members can attend for the discounted rate of $99 for the series or $49 per webinar. 

Click here to register for one or more of the webinar events. For more information about CIRI, please visit www.ciriscience.org.