PIT Turns to Ionization to Purify Airport Air
State-of-the-art technology upgrades HVAC filtration, aims to reduce virus spread
By Matt Neistein
Published March 1, 2021
Read Time: 3 mins
No matter what you’re doing at Pittsburgh International Airport—traveling, visiting, working—or where you go while you’re there, you share one thing in common with the millions of others who pass through each year: the air.
And with the airborne threat of COVID-19 recalibrating everyone’s idea of health and safety, PIT’s operations and safety teams have zeroed in on the atmosphere in the airport as a focal point in keeping passengers and workers as safe as possible.
Last week, airport engineers and electricians began installing a state-of-the-art ionization system in the facility’s HVAC infrastructure as part of a pilot project launched with the help of Allegheny Health Network and Honeywell.
“I’ve always felt our team did an excellent job maintaining our HVAC system. The pandemic obviously brought a heightened focus on indoor air quality,” said Rusty Hottenfeller, Director of Facilities and Airline Services for PIT. “We evaluated filter changes and preventive maintenance with our air handler units and then looked for ways to get better.”
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