UL and SafeTraces Launch Program To Help K-12 Schools Reopen Safely

NORTHBROOK, Ill., March 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- UL, the global safety science leader, and SafeTraces, a market leader in DNA-based technology solutions, today launched a comprehensive program for indoor air quality, ventilation and filtration verification and infection control for K-12 schools. The collaboration combines UL's indoor environmental quality verification services expertise with SafeTraces' veriDARTtm solution, the first aerosol-based diagnostic solution for verifying ventilation and filtration efficacy for infection control.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), SARS-CoV-2 is a highly infectious virus that is primarily transmitted via respiratory droplets and aerosols. UL and SafeTraces are combining forces to address this transmission risk with a program specifically to assess and mitigate health and safety risk in K-12 schools.

Utilizing UL's Healthy Buildings services, enabling building owners and operators to assess indoor environmental quality, with the SafeTraces veriDARTtm solution, a risk assessment tool for airborne pathogens, including coronaviruses, the program provides insight to help K-12 schools reopen safely.  SafeTraces veriDARTtm leverages patented DNA-tagged tracer particles that safely mimic aerosol mobility and exposure in order to identify high-risk infection hotspots and transmission routes, assess ventilation and filtration efficacy, and inform remediations with a rigorous science-based, data-driven methodology.

The SafeTraces program consists of a comprehensive building data review, HVAC system inspection, air quality testing, ventilation assessment, exhaust system verification and SafeTraces veriDARTtm infection risk assessment. Schools will receive a final report that consolidates results, analysis, conclusions and recommendations with the opportunity for recurring UL Verification and ongoing support.

"The pandemic has introduced a heightened interest in health and wellness among educators. Ensuring that school buildings support student and staff health now tops the priority list for school systems across the U.S.," said Sean McCrady, director in UL's Assets and Sustainability, Real Estate and Properties division. "Reducing disease transmission risk is especially important in our schools and places of learning where good ventilation and indoor air quality are imperative.  UL's collaboration with SafeTraces helps schools address this head on to aid them in creating a safe and healthy learning environment," McCrady said.

"How do we verify that air and airflow are safe? In the face of a highly transmissible and potentially lethal airborne pathogen like SARS-CoV-2, this fundamental question has never been more important and the stakes have never been higher for our students, teachers, staff, and communities," said SafeTraces CEO Erik Malmstrom. "Unequivocally, SafeTraces and UL's program establishes a benchmark for K-12 school safety verification. We're thrilled to collaborate with a market leader like UL to support such an important mission."

About UL:

UL is the global safety science leader. We deliver testing, inspection and certification (TIC), training and advisory services, risk management solutions and essential business insights to help our customers, based in more than 100 countries, achieve their safety, security and sustainability goals. Our deep knowledge of products and intelligence across supply chains make us the partner of choice for customers with complex challenges. Discover more at UL.com.

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SOURCE UL