Clean Air Solutions: August 2022

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

Back to School: Why Schools Need Air Filtration to Protect Students

As students return to school for a new school year in many states, it is essential for school districts to consider the effects of air pollution on students and implement strategies to mitigate these effects.

How Does Poor Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Affect Children in Schools?

Productivity: Better Air Quality Improves Learning and Cognition

Teachers make a variety of efforts to maximize the effectiveness of their students’ learning experience; customized teaching strategies, optimized classroom layouts, and detailed lesson plans are just a few of the factors that teachers consider.

But a crucial factor in a student’s success is the air they breathe. Research has demonstrated the effects of air quality on several key aspects of cognition.

In a 2016 study, researchers tested how air quality affected the cognitive performance of office workers. Study participants spent six full work days (eight hours) in environmentally-controlled office spaces, blind to test conditions. On each of the days, they were exposed to different levels of pollutants (VOCs and CO2), and the spaces were ventilated at a different rate.

Of the nine domains of cognitive function tested, researchers found that all were improved by higher air quality. Cognitive scores averaged 61% higher on days with better air quality and 101% higher on days with both better air quality and improved ventilation than on days that represented typical office air quality conditions.

Sharp cognitive function is especially important for children, as it is necessary for developing critical thinking skills, absorbing information, and learning problem-solving.

Attendance: Poor Air Quality Linked to More School Absences

Obviously, students will bear the brunt of air pollution exposure. In fact, a recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Utah reveals that the number of school absences usually doubles the day after a red air day—that’s when ambient or outdoor air quality levels have reached unhealthy levels.

The study, which analyzed student attendance data from the Salt Lake City School District, found that even a slight increase in PM2.5—particulate matter no larger than 2.5 microns in diameter, also known as fine particulate matter—led to a substantial increase in the number of student absences the following day.

A 2019 study by a team of researchers at the University of Utah who analyzed data from the Salt Lake City School District found that school absences doubled the day immediately following a red air day (when local air quality data indicates that ambient outdoor air quality has reached unhealthy levels). The researchers also found that even small increases in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) led to significant increases in student absences the following day.

Health: Air Pollution Linked to Poor Health Outcomes, Including Childhood Obesity

In addition to the widely known effects of air pollution on respiratory and cardiovascular health, both in the short- and long-term, poor air quality has a wide range of serious, and sometimes unexpected, health outcomes. These outcomes are particularly prevalent among children and teenagers.

Many studies have documented the link between symptoms of asthma and childhood obesity. A 2015 study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, for example, found that asthmatic children were 51% more likely than their peers to become obese over the next decade.

Researchers hypothesize that the pain and discomfort caused by asthma cause children affected by the condition to play and exercise less, leading to weight gain. The presence of common pollutants in schools, including pollen, dust, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) worsens symptoms of asthma and triggers full-blown asthma attacks. With over six million American children affected by asthma, it is important for the air inside schools to be clean.

Sickness: Air Filtration Reduces the Spread of COVID-19 and Other Illnesses

The spread of COVID-19 in schools is still a major concern due to the close proximity of children to each other. COVID-19 is one of many illnesses that spreads via airborne respiratory droplets from infected individuals. Because these respiratory droplets are considered particulate matter, they can be filtered out of the air just like any other particle pollutants of similar size.

As new, more contagious variants continue to emerge, it is important to reduce the spread of infections within schools to avoid widespread infections and potential school shutdowns.

Premium Air Filters to Protect Students and Improve Learning for 2022 Fall Semester

Fortunately, poor indoor air quality in schools can be controlled through the use of high-efficiency air filters in the HVAC systems of schools where possible. In the many cases that the school’s HVAC system is not equipped to handle high-efficiency filters, standalone air purifiers, such as Camfil’s City M can be used. This provides the added benefit of removing gaseous pollutants, such as carbon dioxide and VOCs, from the air.

Read this case study to learn about how Camfil worked with a Mid-Atlantic school district to optimize air quality and protect students’ health.

About Camfil Clean Air Solutions

For more than half a century, Camfil has been helping people breathe cleaner air. As a leading manufacturer of premium clean air solutions, we provide commercial and industrial systems for air filtration and air pollution control that improve worker and equipment productivity, minimize energy use, and benefit human health and the environment. We firmly believe that the best solutions for our customers are the best solutions for our planet, too. That’s why every step of the way – from design to delivery and across the product life cycle – we consider the impact of what we do on people and on the world around us. Through a fresh approach to problem-solving, innovative design, precise process control, and a strong customer focus we aim to conserve more, use less and find better ways – so we can all breathe easier.

The Camfil Group is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, and has 31 manufacturing sites, six R&D centers, local sales offices in 35+ countries, and about 5,200 employees and growing. We proudly serve and support customers in a wide variety of industries and in communities across the world. To discover how Camfil USA can help you to protect people, processes and the environment, visit us at www.camfil.us/

Media Contact:

Lynne Laake

Camfil USA Air Filters

T: 888.599.6620

E: Lynne.Laake@camfil.com

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T: Follow Camfil USA on Twitter

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Monday, August 8, 2022

Updated: Camfil’s New CamExtend Offers Better Air Filtration that Pays for Itself

Updated: This new add-on is a simple device that is easy to install and provides more options when selecting HVAC replacement air filters in space-limited situations.

Camfil announces its new CamExtend product, which installs as an add-on to existing HVAC filter bank holding frames, providing the end user an additional ten inches of filter depth allowing the energy savings installation of deep pocket, Hi-Flo® ES filters with the performance guarantees that come with it. Because of lower total operating costs, the small investment in a CamExtend will pay for itself in short order, saving hundreds of dollars over a five year time frame, depending on the installation.
This unique design of the sixteen gauge galvanized steel frame gives cost and energy conscious facilities more options for selecting high performance air filter products. No longer locked into using shorter depth bag filters or compact box style products, the CamExtend opens up the benefits of the 22″ deep, and in some cases the 30″ deep Hi-Flo ES to those with air handling units with limited inline depth.

>> Download CamExtend see product sheet here

The 22″ or 30″ Hi-Flo ES offers a longer life and increased energy savings,
Less waste and labor saved because of fewer filter replacements,
No more clips or fasteners,
40% reduction in the time it takes to replace filters, and
In some applications, the prefilter can be completely eliminated.

The CamExtend is easy to assemble and attaches into any front load HVAC filter bank, like a traditional double-header box style filter would fit. Once installed, there’s no need to change or remove the product again.

The CamExtend accepts specially designed Hi-Flo ES filters constructed with a full perimeter, SnapSeal® magnetic gasket. This combination provides significant savings in energy costs and eliminates the hassles of using clips and fasteners.

This seals the entire perimeter of the filter flat against the inner flange of the CamExtend eliminating air bypass around the filter so all the air is filtered, and
There are no fasteners or clips for any future filter installations.

For more details, on the CamExtend, see product sheet

The world leader in air filtration systems, Camfil provides clean air solutions for hospitals, hotels, office buildings, educational institutions, and pharmaceutical and biotech companies. We provide the tools to achieve sustainability, maintain high air quality, and reduce airborne infections — all while lowering total cost of ownership. Camfil customers go green without ever sacrificing performance. For more information, visit us online at www.camfil.us, or call us toll-free at 888.599.6620.

Media Contact:

Lynne Laake
888-599-6620
Lynne.Laake@camfil.com

The post Updated: Camfil’s New CamExtend Offers Better Air Filtration that Pays for Itself appeared first on Air Filters for Clean Air.

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Thursday, August 4, 2022

Air Pollution Levels Peak in the Summer: Air Filtration Experts Explain Why Air Quality Is So Bad During the Summer

In many locations across the United States and across the world, air quality is at its worst during the summer months. In this article, air pollution experts from global air filtration industry leader Camfil discuss the factors that lead to higher levels of pollution in the summer.

Arid Summer Weather Conditions Increase Particulate Matter

A combination of weather-related factors increase levels of particulate matter in the air in certain areas. Most notably, an extended period of time with no precipitation causes dirt, sand, and soil in the ground to become loose and dry, as opposed to its more stable, compact form during other seasons. As a result, the loosened ground is easier to disperse via the wind, as well as the wheels of vehicles and foot traffic, sometimes as much as doubling concentrations of particulate matter in the area.

Additionally, hot, sunny conditions facilitate the formation of ground-level ozone most efficiently. Although this effect is somewhat mitigated by humidity in some places, dry areas are especially at risk of experiencing increased ozone levels during the summer.

Wildfires Release Pollutants Far and Wide

Over the past several years, wildfires have been increasing in both scope and severity across the world. During June through August, wildfires are at their peak. Wildfire smoke contains a range of pollutants — both particulate and gaseous — that affect air quality not only in the immediate radius of the wildfire but also in areas thousands of miles away due to the ability for the wind to disperse wildfire smoke in all directions, causing hazy skies and poor air quality in areas far from the site of the wildfire.

Summertime Activities Release Pollutants

With children on summer break, the volume of people traveling for vacations is at its highest over the summer. Increased air and road travel and the increased release of exhaust that comes along with it lead to higher levels of ambient air pollution. Furthermore, popular summer activities such as lighting bonfires and setting off fireworks reduces overall air quality.

Summer Thunderstorms Increase Presence of Pollen

Although spring rain clears pollen from the air, the conditions in a summer thunderstorm cause a unique distribution of pollen and plant spores that have been known to trigger asthma attacks. This phenomenon — which has occurred in widespread waves in Australia, England, and Italy, but is known to occur in isolated incidences in other places — was a mystery to experts and researchers for decades.

However, a recent study published in the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology examined a wave of “thunderstorm asthma” that occurred in Melbourne in 2016, resulting in over 8000 hospitalizations and 8 deaths. The researchers found that specific patterns of airflow, compounded by the humidity and static electricity in the air associated with summer storms, were likely responsible for the hazardous conditions. Downdrafts of cold air that form inside a thunderstorm work to concentrate pollen, mold spores, and other allergens, and then carry them into the clouds. The high humidity, windy conditions, and sometimes even lightning in the clouds rupture these particles and break them down into much smaller fragments that can bypass our bodies’ natural barriers and enter the lungs directly through the nose. Furthermore, windy conditions redistribute these dangerous particles around the area of the storm, leading to a larger radius of potential damage.

Air Conditioning Without Adequate Filtration Recirculates Pollutants

In most of the United States, where summer temperatures often soar over one hundred degrees, we would be very uncomfortable without using air conditioning in our homes and public spaces. At least 90% of American homes have some form of air conditioning, and 60% of those homes use a central air conditioning system.

Most central air conditioning systems are equipped with panel filters that are sufficient to protect the equipment from being damaged by large particles but do not protect building inhabitants from finer pollutants. As a result, HVAC systems may repeatedly recirculate polluted air while also bringing polluted outdoor air into the airstream.

To find the best air filtration solution to prevent your air conditioning from harming your lungs, discuss your options with your local Camfil representative.