Air quality in schools affects health and academic performance

Creating and maintaining healthful air quality in schools presents a unique challenge. A complex mix of indoor and outdoor air pollutants like bacteria, allergens, asthma triggers, and viruses like SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) can compromise the learning environment and cause concern about the health and comfort of students and staff. IQAir has extensive experience in providing schools with effective air cleaning solutions to address a wide variety of air pollution issues.

Air quality in schools

Children are particularly vulnerable to toxic air contaminants. Their breathing rates are higher in relation to their body weight, and their lung development is directly affected by air pollution. Exposure to polluted air during these developing years leads to decreased respiratory function later in life. Increasing reports of asthma, which is one of the leading causes of absenteeism among school age children, have been directly linked to elevated air pollution exposure. Research also suggests that poor indoor air quality may directly reduce a person's ability to perform specific mental tasks requiring concentration, calculation, or memory.

Air quality technology matters

The Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value system (MERV) rates air filtration efficiency, and MERV 13 is the minimum efficiency to help mitigate infectious aerosol transmission. While many institutions are upgrading to MERV 13, IQAir offers superior air quality technology that is second to none. NanoMax filters with better than MERV 16 filtration efficiency offer high-efficiency filtration against the smallest and most dangerous particles, in addition to:

• much higher efficiency against all particle sizes

• low pressure drops despite high efficiency

• greater energy efficiency

• reduced filter replacement intervals 

Learn More About MERV and Filtration 

Quality filtration is essential

When it comes to filtering out the most harmful viruses and contaminants from school air, put your trust in proven technology – HyperHEPA filtration.

Other manufacturers rely on UV filters or PECO filters. UV air purifiers can’t destroy bacterial and viral matter in the mere milliseconds in which they’re exposed to UV light. PECO filter technology, as a result of the contact time that is needed for that technology to "impair" biologicals in the air, can only produce around 145 m3/h at maximum fan speed – roughly a third of the power found in IQAir air purifiers. Additionally, PECO technology was recently proven to be ineffective in New York City schools, resulting in an increase in COVID-19 infections.

Another key advantage of IQAir’s air purifiers is that when each one has its airflow capacity tested, all the filters are in place, which provides a true airflow capacity reading.

HyperHEPA filters remove airborne viruses and particle pollutants from the air, capture them in filtration, and help keep rooms healthy and safe – filtering 99.5% of all particles down to 0.003 microns.

HyperHEPA is proven to provide powerful long-term performance too. Cumulate clean mass (CCM) measures how much particulate matter a filter can capture over a long-time without losing efficiency. HyperHEPA filtration performance exceeded the highest CCM rating (P4) for particulate matter.

Lower operating costs

Thanks to superior, long-lasting filtration, IQAir filters provide greater cost-savings over time than competing filters.

For example, longer replacement intervals mean that when an IQAir HealthPro Plus air purifier is run at speed 3 for 10 hours per day for ten years, operating costs can be as low as about $120.80 per year – and possibly lower, if run less.

IQAir solutions for schools

Large classroom size with high occupancy density and low noise requirements have meant that other air cleaning solutions have often provided either ineffective air cleaning performance or presented schools and staff with major drawbacks.

IQAir has extensive experience in working with schools and government agencies to provide air cleaning technology that significantly improves the air quality in schools. In fact, it has been demonstrated that IQAir products are able to reduce the amount of air pollution exposure for children and staff in classrooms by up to 95%. Such results are achieved in close cooperation with school administration and maintenance staff and involve a three-step process: problem analysis, solution design, and solution implementation.

Relying on more than 55 years of air cleaning experience, IQAir combines proven methodologies and advanced air filtration technologies to provide high-level air quality improvements.