TY - JOUR T1 - Disinfectant tunnels: a solution to the problem or a problem on its own? JF - BMJ Innovations JO - BMJ Innov DO - 10.1136/bmjinnov-2021-000931 SP - bmjinnov-2021-000931 AU - Siew Hui Michelle Koh AU - Si Ling Young AU - Hui Zhong Chai AU - Adrian Kwok Wai Chan AU - Aik Hong Philine Chan AU - Jun Chun Chia AU - Frederick Teo AU - Soh Hui Qing AU - Thun How Ong AU - Ghee Chee Phua Y1 - 2022/07/22 UR - http://innovations.bmj.com/content/early/2022/07/22/bmjinnov-2021-000931.abstract N2 - What are the new findingsThis is the first pilot study to look at the bronchoconstrictive effects of aerosolised BAC.Findings from this pilot study suggest that BAC disinfectant tunnels/booths cause bronchoconstriction even when used with a surgical face mask. With N95 respirators, no conclusive objective evidence of bronchoconstriction was made, but subjective symptoms were reported.Hence, conclusion regarding safety cannot be made.How might it impact on healthcare in the futureThis study suggests that despite use of surgical masks, short-term BAC exposure, even at reduced concentrations, can cause bronchoconstrictive effects and hence is not safe to be used in a disinfectant booth or tunnel.While the idea of an automatic disinfection system that performs contactless disinfection of exterior surfaces to arrest further infection is ideal, more research is needed to determine the optimal and safest methods in doing so.The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted the health and socioeconomic status of millions of people worldwide. COVID-19–related health policies1 2 introduced around the world contain methods to curb the transmission of the virus, and these include border control measures, contact tracing and lockdown. As the world enters the third year of living in the COVID-19 pandemic, countries have attempted lifting movement restrictions only to face yet another wave of the virus transmission, resulting in the continuous cycle of transmission, lockdown and re-opening.3 To break this cycle or delay the next wave, Cacciapaglia et al4 suggested that the key was to limit the number of persons infected during the inter-wave strolling period. However, aside from the commonly used approach of movement restrictions that has negative impacts on the economy and mental health,5 6 another approach that could be considered would be physical devices that can prevent spread of viruses.Novel ideas on automated disinfectant devices have emerged as a means to reduce risks of viral transmission. One such … ER -