To WHO regarding the lack of possibilities for Sweden to handle a tuff airborne disease as a pandemic.

STURE LARSSON

Ejdervägen 12

247 63 Veberöd

046/808 38                                              

0704 45 17 37                                                               

larsson.sture@telia.com

2020-01-25

To WHO regarding the lack of possibilities for Sweden to handle a tuff airborne disease as a pandemic.

The new Chinese corona virus is spreading possibly as a pandemic.

As a citizen of Sweden I would like to inform WHO that Sweden might be incapable of handling an airborne disease of pandemic standard. That depends on hard facts and on soft facts.

The hard fact is that Sweden has mostly recirculating ventilation systems in humane buildings.

It is due to the fact that Sweden since the 70-ies has a priority for recovering of energy at the expense of good building environment. That means for ventilation of buildings air to air heat exchangers with energy transforming principles also recovering stuff from outgoing air back to incoming air. Worst of all is the so called rotating heat exchanger, which due to its working process is in fact unthinkable in hygiene responsible technic although it is the prime Swedish choice. Sweden is functioning as long as we have a high hygienic standard otherwise backed by antibiotic medicines. 

WHO ought to know that this technic is by export on the way out even to other countries, meaning that an airborne pandemic disease might be unstoppable even in other parts of the Europe.

See enclosed picture from PM Luft 1994.

The rotating heat exchanger is based on a big wheel built out of a thin surface bubbled aluminium foil constantly rotating and through flown by outgoing air and incoming air. When surface coming into the warm outgoing air from the cold incoming air the foil is cold. The warm air will by convection and condensation deposit its energy in the metal together with water and “dirt” (dust, bacteria, virus etc.) from the building attaching to the surface of the foil. When the wheel surface is reaching the cold dry incoming air again the recovered energy, the water and the “dirt” will deposit in the in going air ready to be inhaled by those living in the so ventilated chambers. What is going back in with the” new air” is normally spread all  over the building. Studies in Finland says that almost 100 % of in water soluble gases in the

outgoing air might be caught in the condense water on the aluminium foil. The wheel must be regarded as impossible to clean.

What ever “beings” in the air of one room leaving equipment and persons might be spread over the whole building in minutes in order to recover energy but not to secure good clean air quality to be inhaled. What is spread might be the new Chinese virus.

To be really sure of a good energy recovering result the complete air handling installation in a qualified house, the air handling installation normally has a so called mixing chamber meaning that outgoing air might be redirected into in going air directly before passing the heat exchanger as this picture reveals. Normally the mixing chamber is used under out side cold conditions, nights and mornings. If the mixing chamber are to be functioning the inward working fan must be on the “sucking side” of the heat exchanger making the system hygienic worse.

The result is that what is passing the mixing chamber is passing uncleaned directly back to the whole building. To be really sure of energy saving the whole system might by night be stopped, meaning a totally uncontrolled environment inside the system meaning uncontrolled air flow direction, uncontrolled deposit side of filters, uncontrolled organic growth on areas inside the whole system ready to be inhalable stuff when starting up the ventilation system. To be true, a total disaster in a hygienic sense of control.

In Sweden of today most of public houses, official buildings, schools etc. has rotating heat exchangers and at least 42 % of all health caring buildings has the worst of all, rotating heat exchangers, meaning that they cannot be used if an airborne pandemic occur.

Today there is already a national crisis due to the fact that most beds for sick persons in hospitals are already occupied and fronted by a long queue.  There are no rooms for pandemic sick masses.

In that view of knowledge about hard facts it is hard to understand how Sweden can have any chance, any possibility of handling an airborne pandemic.

WHO ought to know that by export of the said  technics to other countries big parts of  Europe might end up in the same position, uncapable of handling pandemics. What to do?

Then to the soft facts!

In a sharp situation the authorities ought to be functioning due to its mission. It is not truly so for Sweden!

That depends on if the leading staff of the authorities is professionally skilled and trained for a tuff task.

Traditionally Swedish authorities leading staff are normally looked for by political left overs normally not chosen for its skill regarding the authorities mission and normally not skilled in leading of big organisations especially not in trouble wind. To be true, it is people trained in surrounding a table, warming a chair and backing up others decisions. In Sweden no political leader has ever understood that his worst enemy is the yes`man and the one demanding for some gratitude. At the end of the day he has to sweep up behind neglecters. In front of the sweeper is now standing a lot of authorities which have since around 1975 neglected their response for safe and in all situations useful buildings.

It is especially normal that the regionally responsible authorities, Länstyrelserna, responsible and supposed leading in a tuff national situation, are lead by political left overs lacking named skills. In a tuff situation it is of no confidence to know that the regionally leaders are leaders due to their relations to younger, normally for the task probably likely unskilled governmental ministers. These political left oversare normally older and has a higher party rank and status than their younger and for the task normally only softly skilled governmental “chiefs”. Do they have the guts to demand a leadership on the rough field.? In my eyes,  NO.

To be true, Sweden is drowning in a vast number of authorities never heard of after inauguration. Their standard approach to public today is by an army of so called communicators knowing one Watson controlled sentence:” The question is lying some where else. Not here!.”

In that picture it is easy to understand that such an important section of society as buildings might be occupied by totally wrong theories such as energy handling technic contra productiveness to human needs and security.

Described situation is, may be, typical Swedish. As an example I have not seen any minister responsible for the tuff questions of nature and environment examined in any nature related science or any minister trained in handling big organisations in trouble wind.

If a tuff pandemic occur, I sincerely hope that WHO might take an intense look on Sweden and prohibit recirculating ventilation technics spread to other parts of Europe.

Kind regards

Sture Larsson

My background is agr. ing. specialized in building environment qualities, 7 years of scientific research work leading in said subject followed by a life as an entrepreneur.