A new downloadable calculator developed by experts at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Healthy Buildings program can help determine how powerful an air purifier must be to help keep classrooms safe from the coronavirus.
In an August 19, 2020 Boston Globe article, Memo Cedeño Laurent, associate director of the program and one of the creators of the calculator, said the first step to prevent airborne spread of the virus is to check a building’s ventilation system and also to see if simply opening windows provides enough fresh air. Portable air purifiers can provide additional clean air, he said, although “not every classroom needs one of these.”
The use of portable air purifiers is one of many recommendations outlined in a June report from the Healthy Buildings program on how to safely reopen schools. Said Joseph Allen, director of the program, “You can turn any building into a healthy building with just a little attention.”
Read the Boston Globe article: Experts say some classrooms may need an air purifier — and offer advice on sizing