Jennifer Nuzzo is one of the many concerned parents who are worried about their child’s health while sending them back for school.
Nuzzo, a mother and a health expert hence took charge of one of the things that she can control to ensure safety for her child and bought an air cleaner for the classroom.
Fresh Air Can Be A Solution For Covid In Schools.
More health experts are holding similar opinions while urging schools to make sure there is plenty of fresh air in the classroom for the safety of the children and the teachers.
As breathing in the fresh air can provide protection from the virus particles to some extent.
Something for the peace of mind:
Nuzzo, who is also a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public health and a scholar at the center for health security at John Hopkins University states that parents feel that they are not in control of the situation and thus there is a bit of fear regarding the safety of their children
Doing small buts like getting an air freshener can provide some peace of mind for the concerned parents, further implies Jennifer Nuzzo.
Although air purifiers are not cheap they are still a better alternative compared to privates schooling or hiring a nanny for the child.
Nuzzo furthermore adds that this is a worthy investment as it can act as an added protection for the most vulnerable lot, the children.
Fresh air an alternative to vaccination:
According to Joseph Allen, director of the Healthy Building Program at Harvard’s T.H Chan school of public health, although fresh air cannot be an alternative to vaccination, it can be a better alternative for people who are stuck in closed indoor settings breathing in air containing virus particles.
Allen has been advocating for better air quality inside classrooms and closed buildings for the prevention of the spread of the coronavirus.
Allen states that if schools have failed to achieve a fresh air profile within the premises thane they have failed in their leadership, as there is no scarcity of resources when it comes to implementation of such steps.
Is fixing air quality really easy:
Getting fresh air within closed premises may not be as easy as it seems believes Claire Barnett, Healthy Schools Network’s executive director.
Challenges lie in the fact that fixing the ventilation system may not be easy and getting new installations are expensive.
Although the infrastructure bill of $550 billion is passed it does not clarify if the money can be used for air freshening systems in schools and buildings.
The air filter system has to appropriately fit in the rooms to flushing out the old air and filling it in with fresh air at an appropriate rate known as the air exchange.
However, the majority of the schools have not done anything giving excuses like the buildings are too old, there is not enough fund available, there are not enough windows or the time os constrained.
The portable air cleaners are hence effective and can improve he air quality by removing the virus and the other pollutants.
How does the air filters work:
The HVAC systems or the portable air filter captures the articles in the air and are very efficient for things like wildfire smoke, general outdoor air pollutants, virus particles, and much more.
Moreover, the convenience lies in the fact that they are easy to use. It just has to be plugged and it will start doing its work.
However, some of the simpler alternatives include increasing the cross ventilation in rooms by opening up as, many doors and windows as possible.
Allen further implies that such steps have been taken long back to enhance retaliation and air quality to provide protection against air-borne viruses like influenza, and now is the once-in-a-generation opportunity to correct it and have better ventilation in the future.