Positive Pressure Technology Should be Considered to Improve Safety in Reopened Classrooms

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At schools, we need to better control indoor contamination. Wearing masks is NOT going to provide adequate protection.

Recent Japan research indicates micro droplets of COVID remain suspended in stagnant room air for hours, but there is also some good news. The research indicates that droplets can be effectively disbursed with just a slight breeze – which is something we can create in classrooms.

This is how “clean rooms” work that are used to manufacture items such as pharmaceuticals and medical equipment. We need to apply a similar concept to schools and create “clean classrooms” by applying positive air pressure to flush COVID droplets safely through classrooms and out of school buildings.

Industrial air handlers able to move large amounts of air through building are designed to do this. Pumping air into the center of school corridors will create a mild breeze throughout the entire school building pushing contaminates out. This requires air units and also installing small vents in classroom doors and exterior walls to facilitate the airflow.

Japanese COVID research indicates that just a slight breeze is enough to carry suspended virus droplets safely away – making corridors, classrooms, entire schools – much much safer.

For the duration of this pandemic, we need to have air handlers in our schools to sanitize the air and protect the health of students and their family members. One medium-size school will require two large air units, each will cost about what a new car costs. This is expensive yes, but the cost of not adding units may be the lives of students and family members.

David Collins
Old Lyme