Page 12 - Indoor Air Quality 3Roda

maintenance can set off a harmful and expensive vehicles, while retrofitting old buses and keeping up
chain of events: “A minor roof leak and a dirty with vehicle maintenance. 75
classroom carpet might not cause much concern. But
if the water from the roof leak reaches the carpet, Dis-infect indoor air
the water can wet the dirt in the carpet and the Air dis-infection technology can
mould that has been dormant in the carpet. The dramatically reduce levels of
mould can grow and become a pollutant source that airborne contaminants. What
releases spores into the classroom air. The HVAC this means: fewer particles will
system may act as a pathway that disperse the be inhaled by students or settle on surfaces that
spores to other parts of the school, where occupants children and staff touch.
may experience allergic reactions.”
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“You are not only cleaning the air but also the
Clean more often and environment — because if it’s in the air, it’s
with non-toxic products eventually going to settle down,” says Dr. Bischoff of
Wake Forest University.
Dust mites, pests, mould spores, and
germs can be significantly reduced Bischoff’s research, conducted in hospital emergency
when custodians more frequently sweep floors, rooms, shows air cleaning devices can reduce
vacuum carpets and upholstery, and wipe hard airborne bacterial bioburden by 40% to 50%.
surfaces with damp cloths. “If you have nice, clean “You’d presumably have the same reduction in viral
surfaces, bacteria and viruses will die on a desk a lot particles,” adds Bischoff.
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quicker than if you have layers of dust, grime, ear
wax, and other organic matter,” says Western New Installations in kindergarten classrooms have
York schools health and safety consultant John Polito. found similar reductions in airborne viral

bioburden. For example, Kindergarten Mamos
In addition, all schools should develop “green Delne, an educational facility in Vilnius, Lithuania,
cleaning” policies, though currently fewer than a found a significant reduction in viral infection rates
dozen U.S. states mandate these policies. Non- among the children in its care after deploying
toxic cleaning products no longer cost more than Novaerus portable air dis-infection devices in its
traditional chemicals, and they protect staff and classrooms.
students from chemical exposure while extending
the life of carpets and equipment. In the past, Mamos Delne experienced an outbreak
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of rotavirus, one of the most common causes of
Choose non-toxic building community-acquired gastroenteritis in children. The
materials virus is highly contagious and easily spread through

Schools can minimize VOC exposure hand to mouth contact and through the air, from
by selecting non-toxic art materials coughing and sneezing. The outbreak resulted in the
and interior paints and building materials with infection of 70% of children in the facility.
minimal formaldehyde content and by covering
pressed-wood cabinetry with sealed surfaces. Two months after a trial installation, a child
in Mamos Delne’s care became infected with
Also important: scheduling off-gassing for weekends rotavirus. This time, instead of the 70% infection
or school vacations and using plastic sheeting to rate previously experienced by the facility, the virus
contain contaminants during renovations. was easily contained, with only a handful of children
experiencing any symptoms.
Reduce outdoor vehicle
exhaust After the trial period had ended, the Novaerus
units were removed from the facility. Shortly after,
Diesel exhaust from idling school Mamos Delne was hit with yet another outbreak of
buses finds its way into hallways and rotavirus, this time infecting 100% of the children in
classrooms through doors and windows. It’s critical the facility. Following this outbreak, the parents of
for schools to implement an EPA-compliant idling the children in Mamos Delne’s care demanded the
reduction policy both for school buses and parent Novaerus units be reinstalled.

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