Are the air purifiers supposed to track pollutants inside high schools effective? According to the study carried out on Covid-19 particles under real conditions by the Virpath and Virnext laboratories supported by Lyonbiopôle, the response is positive.
Installed in high schools in the region, air purifiers with HEPA H13 filter would retain 99.2% of ultra-fine particles present in the air and 99.9% with higher quality (H14). Then once trapped, the Covid-19 particles would resist about 48 hours in the HEPA filter and then disappear.
Laurent Wauquiez, President of the Region, is very satisfied with this study financed by the region for 184,000 €. “Air purifiers must be included in the national high school strategy.” For two months, the laboratories worked to discover the performance of the purifiers for a conclusive result.
A first in Europe
“This scientific demonstration is the first in Europe. It is an extremely strong response. Air filtration works, it’s a hope for everyone. This operation could also work for restaurants, ”announces the president. He then continues: “When we started our deployment of air purifiers in high schools and schools, we were criticized that there was not enough scientific evidence on the effectiveness of this device. Today, thanks to this study, we can see how useful this tool is in the fight against Covid-19, ”he underlines.
“We will therefore intensify our infiltration devices and I will officially refer to the national education ministry so that air purifiers are included in the national high school strategy,” he concluded.
It is a very important step which has been achieved. When we started our deployment of air purifiers in high schools and schools, we were criticized that there was not enough scientific evidence on the effectiveness of this device. Today, thanks to this study, we can see how useful this tool is in the fight against Covid-19, ”he underlines.
An envelope of 10 million euros
By releasing 10 million euros last year to install air purifiers, Laurent Wauquiez wanted to make the AURA region an example in terms of the management of Covid-19 in high schools. Numerous scientific studies establishing that the air is one of the most important vectors for the spread of the virus.
Half of the envelope (5 million) concerned public and private high schools in the territory, the other half was to co-finance with other communities this equipment in schools but also in media libraries, libraries, nursing homes.
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