SOW_98451.docx

STATEMENT OF WORK

There are three focus areas to the statement of work, (1) Viral Particle Dispersion and Viability, (2) ISOPASS deployment and testing, and (3) Augmentation of aircraft cabin database TITLE 1: Viral Particle Dispersion and Viability I. Background There remains an intense public health interest in potential transmission mechanisms of infectious disease within aircraft cabins. Recent outbreaks of SARS, MERS, and EVD have reinvigorated interest in quantifying risks associated with this mode of global travel. Although the managed-air environment of commercial aircraft is designed to maintain acceptable air quality, the variable (often high) occupant density makes infection risk, particularly by airborne pathogens, difficult to accurately assess. Little work has been done directly examining the behavior of biological analytes in the aircraft cabin environment under experimental conditions.

II. Scope of Work The contract is for research that examines viral particle transport and retained viability in an aircraft cabin environment. An experimental study will be performed in mockup Boeing 767 and Boeing 737 cabin sections consisting of eleven rows with seven seats per row and five rows with six seats per row, respectively. The cabin mockup will be supplied by 100% ambient air through realistic supply ductwork and linear diffusers along the cabin length above the aisles.

III. Contractor Tasks A. An aerosol containing non-pathogenic bacteriophage particles in known concentrations will be generated from a fixed position in the B767 aircraft cabin mockup. Ventilation equipment and flow rates representative of an actual aircraft will be used for all experiments.

B. Air samples will be collected from fixed, predetermined positions within the cabin mockup.

C. The viability of virions in the collected air samples will be assayed by viral plaque counting.

D. Results will be collected for different positions and directions of aerosol dispersion.

E-H: Repeat the process, with appropriate changes, in the B737 mockup.

I. Results will be reported in a manner that answers the following questions.

1. What is the concentration of viable virions in collected air samples, relative to the aerosol-generating mixture?

2. What is the concentration of viable virions in collected air samples as a function of position?

3. What are the effects of changes in position or direction of aerosol generation on viable virion dispersion?

4. What are the implications for disease transport?

5. What are the recommendations for future research?

TITLE 2: ISOPASS Deployment and Testing I. Background As aircraft cabin environments have received heightened environmental scrutiny, aircraft designers have adopted airflow and filtration techniques intended to reduce widespread sharing of potentially infectious air among crew and passengers. However, there is little that the aircraft ventilation designer can do to protect passengers from an immediately adjacent source of infectious aerosol or droplets. NIOSH has initiated research into the development of intervention techniques which cabin crew members (flight attendants) can implement upon identification of a passenger exhibiting signs of distress. Knowledge of directional airflow paradigms and return air locations will be incorporated into tactfully-developed isolation zones that place the sick passenger into personalized zones of slightly negative pressure and increased barrier protection, thus preventing infectious migration via airborne and short-range airborne and droplet transmission mechanisms. The intervention has been named ISOPASS.

II. Scope of Work Final intervention designs will require specificity, based upon aircraft design and in some cases, seat position. Initially however, NIOSH researchers will focus upon Proof-of-Concept activities and upon completing such proofs, will advance into prototype modifications that address the diverse population of aircraft designs, configurations, and seat location scenarios. While NIOSH researchers have the capability to initiate prototype designs and design strategies within their own research facilities, they do not have direct access to aircraft fuselage interiors and this access is paramount to successful intervention development, testing and refinement. Access to accurate aircraft fuselage and seat design parameters is necessary in order to accurately deploy, optimize, and test the protective performance of the ISOPASS intervention(s). The request for this research contract is for the contractor to provide access to their Boeing 737 and 767 research platforms for the purpose of collecting precise design schematic data, such that NIOSH researchers may develop an initial ISOPASS prototype back at the NIOSH research facility.

Upon completion of an initial prototype, NIOSH will provide the ISOPASS prototype design to researchers at KSU for the purpose of accurate deployment within the KSU aircraft platforms and the conduct of both qualitative and quantitative ISOPASS containment testing. The contracted KSU researchers will conduct qualitative smoke containment testing with the ISOPASS prototype deployed in both a rear-wall bulkhead and a non-bulkhead window seat position for each of the 737 and 767 research platforms. Identified design weaknesses made evident by the qualitative testing will be ameliorated, in consult with the NIOSH prototype designers if necessary. Upon elimination of qualitatively-identified design weaknesses, the KSU researchers will initiate tracer gas containment studies of the ISOPASS prototype with the aircraft cabin research platform placed into operational mode to imitate the platform’s actual in-flight ventilation operational scheme. The quantitative containment performance should be documented for relative comparison against an equivalent uncontrolled test case. The evaluations should be conducted as matched pairs (“controlled” via the ISOPASS intervention vs “uncontrolled”, with no ISOPASS intervention present) with the test order of controlled/uncontrolled randomly selected for each matched pair. A minimum of 3 matched pair repetitions for each ISOPASS deployment location will be performed (minimum 3 matched pair repetitions x 2 aircraft x 2 positions per aircraft).

Upon completion of the qualitative and quantitative containment testing for each aircraft test platform, the KSU researchers will provide a detailed report to CDC/NIOSH that documents the research methods, materials, results, discussion, and conclusions for the contracted research activities. At that time, if the ISOPASS intervention is shown to quantitatively provide a containment efficiency of 90% or greater, the intervention design will be deemed a success and a manuscript prepared for peer-reviewed publication, with the KSU researchers offered the role as primary authors. If the ISOPASS intervention is not deemed a success, a decision regarding publication or the need for additional research will be determined at that time.

III. Contractor Tasks A. Provide access to reasonably realistic 11-row B767 and 5-row B737 aircraft cabin interiors in a laboratory setting, including cabin ventilation.

B. Deploy the ISOPASS prototype within the KSU aircraft platforms.

C. Conduct qualitative ISOPASS containment testing.

D. Identify and ameliorate observed design weaknesses.

E. Conduct quantitative ISOPASS containment testing.

F. Provide a detailed report to CDC/NIOSH that documents research methods, materials, results, discussion, and conclusions.

TITLE 3: Augmentation of Aircraft Cabin Database I. Background In developing the GAATE model, representative passenger aircraft designs should be used as data collection platforms so that exposure predictions are meaningfully applicable to the industry. Some funding for the proposed contract comes from the CDC Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR), and one of the recommendations during the proposal review stage was that an Airbus cabin be included in the research. While the project to date has used Boeing designs, addition of the other major large passenger jet manufacturer will strengthen the study.

II. Scope of Work An Airbus cabin environment will be acquired and transported to a KSU research facility or built. The specific model will be chosen such that it is used in transcontinental flights and possibly transoceanic flights. This will require the A320 or larger. A320 salvage opportunities seem to be occasionally available. The fuselage is probably less valuable to parts resellers, and so obtaining an A320 fuselage, or a section of this, would seem to be possible at scrap prices and transportation. Preliminary market research has identified Controller.com, Rantoul Kansas, as a company that has recently salvaged an A320. Airbus also has a location in Wichita Kansas that might be an outreach opportunity. Obtaining a real fuselage is provided as an example for fulfilling this portion of the contract, whereas the contractor may decide instead to build a mock-up.

III. Contractor Tasks A. Identify potential sources of passenger aircraft resale and salvage, or develop cost estimates for building a mock-up.

B. Acquire an Airbus cabin environment, suitable for air contaminant transport research, or build a mock-up, or a combination of salvaged, purchased, and built components.

C. Transport to or build at a facility that provides reasonable access to the Airbus cabin environment, for CDC/NIOSH collaborators.

D. Bring the cabin environment to reasonably realistic seating and ventilating functionality.