Whilst solar panels and air conditioning have dominated the priority list for State Governments in recent years, the pandemic has presented a new challenge for Australian schools, one that urgently needs to be pushed to the top of State Government priority lists: air purification.
Despite spending the last two years enduring lockdowns and homeschooling, it is 2022 that is proving to present the biggest risk and disruption to students, thanks to widespread community transmission of COVID-19 causing some of the highest rates of student and teacher absence ever seen across many Aussie schools in Term 1.
Classrooms, with maskless students and teachers packed in rooms for many hours each day, have become regular superspreader hubs for the persistent and highly-contagious COVID virus, yet it seems the “cross our fingers and hope it eventually goes away” strategy is the best our leaders can summon in response.
It’s time for air purifiers in classrooms
“Active” air purification systems are a frontline defence against airborne threats such as COVID-19, and are scientifically proven to effectively destroy over 99% of the SARS-COV-2 virus in the treated space via a process called Photohydroionization® (PHI).
This works by dispersing millions of tiny hydrogen-peroxide molecules into the air which seek-and-destroy contaminants including viruses, bacteria, mould spores and more.
What’s more, these highly effective indoor air purifiers can be retrofit to existing air conditioning / HVAC systems, with simple installation, low operating costs and minimal maintenance required.
International leaders in air purification, RGF Environmental Group, manufacture a range of commercial air purifiers which can be installed into any HVAC system, from individual split system units right through to large ducted systems. Their best-selling residential and commercial air purifiers are available here in Australia through AU/NZ master distributor The Clean Air Company.
These systems have become increasingly popular across the US, UK and Europe as COVID thrust indoor air quality and purification into the spotlight, however Australia – like many things – has so far proven a little slower on the uptake.
It’s time our State Governments and education departments pushed classroom air purification to the top of their priority list, to keep our students and teachers safe from COVID.