Back to school shopping: as a parent or a teacher, you know it all too well. Notebooks, tissues, pencils – everyone has a list. We usually think of hand sanitizer or cleaning supplies when we think of the back-to-school items that will keep our children healthy and safe. But what about the air they breathe? It’s time to consider the effect dirty air has on faculty, staff, and students.
Parents Are Concerned About School Air
A few years ago, in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, air purification was a crucial part of reopening schools in-person. Now, air purification is an important part of staying open. And school administrators – as well as parents – are considering their options.
Parents, especially, worry about the impending cold and flu season And they’re asking questions such as:
“How can I improve my child’s immune system?
“How can I keep my asthmatic child safe?”
“How can we mitigate the transmission of viral disease?”
School is a sort of second home, where students and staff spend the majority of their time. So parents want to make sure it’s a healthy and safe environment.
Air Purification For Better Immunity
When it comes to improving immunity, it’s important for parents and administrators to consider the viral load of each classroom. The number of viral particles in the air can impact how sick a person becomes. Exposure to a large number of particles is considered a high viral load. A high viral load can overwhelm the immune system and increase a person’s chance of severe illness.
A classroom that houses numerous people for many hours a day has the potential for a high viral load. This, then, has the potential to negatively impact the immunity of those students and staff.
Thankfully, deploying an air purifier in the classroom can reduce the number of virus particles circulating in the air, reducing how much of the virus everyone is exposed to. This can help to unburden the immune system.
But not just any air purifier will do.
Air Purification To Prevent Viral Transmission
According to an extensive review carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), air purifiers, like Austin Air, that use a combination of HEPA and carbon are the most effective. The EPA warned against technologies such as UVGI, ESPs and ionizers, even plasma and PCO. Many of these technologies are ineffective and can actually off-gas, generating more airborne pollutants.
Since the pandemic, facilities managers and school administrators have worked tirelessly to improve ventilation and make HVAC upgrades in order to mitigate the transmission of viral disease (whether it’s COVID-19, the flu, RSV, or some other virus).
Unfortunately, HVAC air filtration is only working when the HVAC system is running. And oftentimes, the system is turned off during warmer months. Plus, many schools have older systems which are not capable of the MERV-13 filtration that is recommended for viral capture.
Not only that, it’s important to consider the cleanliness of the system. Older buildings could very well have dirty ductwork and vents – perhaps from mold, dust, or decaying material.
Austin Air uses a combination of activated carbon and medical-grade HEPA in its filters, which has been proven to remove up to 99% of all airborne contaminants as small as 0.1 microns. (Remember, COVID-19 is .125 microns in diameter.) This is equivalent to a MERV-17 or MERV-18 filtration capacity.
The Austin Air Bedroom Machine even has an extra level of protection with a HEGA carbon cloth. A 2009 third-party study performed by the Health Protection Agency in the U.K. tested a surrogate virus that was 23-28 nm in diameter (smaller than the COVID-19 virus) and found the activated carbon cloth both captured and deactivated the virus.
Air Purification For Students With Respiratory Conditions
Parents of students with pre existing respiratory issues like asthma are especially concerned about air quality. Many environmental factors can trigger an asthma attack, like dust, allergens, pet dander, and chemicals.
For these students, clean air is a must. But parents wonder, “do air purifiers really work?”
In 2001, Austin Air conducted a clinical trial with the American Academy of Pediatrics and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to find out. The aim of the study was to measure how an Austin Air Purifier could help to reduce children’s asthma symptoms and minimize visits to the ER.
The air purifiers were run in the bedroom at night and in the main family room during the day. Over a twelve-month period, the children’s asthma improved and the number of visits to the emergency room was reduced dramatically.
In 2015, we partnered with the University of Washington, to measure how using an Austin Air Purifier could help to improve air quality for children with asthma living in the Yakima Valley, Washington State. The area is known for a range of intensive agricultural activities that have a major impact on pollution levels.
As with previous studies, the results were significant. Pollution levels in the living area were reduced by 48% and in the children’s bedrooms, they were reduced by an incredible 65%.
Four Ways To Cost-Effectively Get Medical-Grade Air Purification For Your Child’s Classroom
While it’s clear that all classrooms need medical-grade air purification, it’s not always clear how to get it. For some parents, a solid, medical-grade, clinically-proven air purifier might seem too costly for their back-to-school budget.
That’s why Austin Air is making it more affordable for parents. We now have four options for parents to choose from.
- Get a Back to School Discount Code
- Buy Now Pay Later with Klarna
- Team Up With Other Parents
- Become a Parent-Teacher Partner
According to the EPA, “Good IAQ contributes to a favorable environment for students, the performance of teachers and staff, and a sense of comfort, health, and well-being. These elements combine to assist a school in its core mission — educating children.”
Clean air is essential for the safety and productivity of faculty, staff, and students. And clean air starts with air purification. Whether it’s protection against COVID-19, VOCs, chemicals, formaldehydes, or mold, air purification is the most important strategy to keep students safe.
Reduce Viral Transmission
After lockdowns, masks, social distancing, and more, faculty, staff, parents, and students alike are excited for a normal school year. One of the most important questions building managers, superintendents, and principals should be asking is: “How can we reduce viral transmission?”
High-quality air purification reduces airborne contaminants, including viruses, in schools. Clean air is an essential part of mitigating COVID-19. As a school looking to keep students safe and healthy and mitigate the spread of COVID-19, air purification should be one of the most important strategies implemented.
Improve Learning and Cognitive Performance
Teachers take many approaches when coming up with a plan that will improve students’ cognitive performance, like personalized lesson plans, unique teaching methods, and improved classroom configurations. But without clean air, all of this is almost useless.
Studies show air quality has a significant effect on cognition.
Maintain an Equitable School Environment
Not only do school closures hinder students’ academic outcomes, but they also can cause inequities. School closures can lead to a loss of access to school-based physical or mental health resources, as well as a loss of services for children with disabilities.
The Parent-Teacher Toolkit
Austin Air launched a Parent-Teacher Toolkit that helps teachers, parents, and grandparents advocate for clean air in schools. The toolkit will arm you with real data and valuable information to convince teachers, principals, and superintendents that air purification is essential for indoor air quality, which affects students in nearly every way.
Austin Air: The Solution
With the most robust air purification technology on the market, Austin Air purifiers are an essential part of a plan to keep students productive, safe, healthy, and happy.
Our air purifiers are the ONLY clinically proven air purification solution on the market. We’ve outperformed more than 100 other air purifiers in government tests because of our unique CDC, EPA, and WHO recommended combination of medical-grade HEPA technology and activated carbon.
Austin Air is also trusted by numerous doctors, professional athletes, first responders, teachers, and parents for a wide range of health issues and air quality concerns.
Austin Air is also located right in Buffalo, NY, so you won’t have to worry about pesky supply chain issues which might delay shipment. Plus, you can Buy Now, Pay Later with Klarna.
