As a school administrator, it’s your job to oversee important decisions that make schools a healthy learning environment. COVID made us think differently about indoor air quality (IAQ), and we learned how quickly deadly viruses spread, especially in schools.
Luckily, we can drastically — and easily — improve indoor air quality. Even before the SARS-CoV-19 pandemic, IAQ has been a growing health concern in schools. We understand its significant impact on both health and comfort.
These essential qualities foster an optimal environment for children to learn and staff to teach. Air purifiers help schools improve IAQ to provide a better, healthier backdrop for young minds to absorb curriculums.
Today we’re looking into the importance of indoor air for kids, the impacts of poor air quality, and the best air purifier for your school.
Significance of Indoor Air Quality for Children At School
Children in the United States spend around 1,000 hours at school every year. (So imagine how much more time you, teachers, and staff spend there.) Between craft supplies, VOC off-gassing, and cleaning fumes, that’s a hefty amount of indoor pollution exposure at school over a kid’s lifetime.
Since COVID, we understand the importance of IAQ for overall health and to limit spreading germs. Even the White House made it a top priority with The American Rescue Plan: $122 billion for the ARP Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Fund. It’s time to invest in your school’s future, and air purifiers make that doable. Improving indoor air quality has never been more important (or simple)!
Why is cleaner air a school priority?
Poor indoor air quality has known negative health impacts, especially for children.
Since children grow rapidly during school years, these effects impact children more. Children have a higher metabolic rate, meaning they breathe faster. So, if your school has poor IAQ, all those little lungs inhale harmful toxins at a faster rate than your adult staff! Wild to think about, isn’t it?
One study links higher levels of NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) to more student absences. Health and learning go hand in hand with our children. They need a healthy and comfortable environment for success (and so does your staff!).
Symptoms of Poor Indoor Air Quality For Kids Include:
- Headaches
- Sinus Congestion
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Coughing
- Nausea
For the full list and more information, you can check out the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s article, “Why Indoor Air Quality is Important in Schools.”
Impacts of Poor Indoor Air Quality in Schools You Want To Avoid
Building structure, as well as ventilation capabilities, massively impact indoor air quality. We know administrators, like yourself, can only do so much with what your district has to work with. Aged facilities and poor ventilation increase the likelihood of air that is full of harmful pollutants. Let’s explore a few issues around poor IAQ.
Costly Repairs
Older buildings struggle to maintain proper heating and cooling throughout different seasons or because of age-related conditions. With extra moisture from poor ventilation, mold trouble can rack up costly repairs. It’s a struggle to make improvements when the budget’s already tight.
Funding to update an entire HVAC system for your school can feel insurmountable. Air purifiers offer a more affordable option to clean the air. They can be conveniently placed in individual classrooms and offices for a targeted, budget-friendly alternative to costly repairs.
Staff Satisfaction
You know how much stress your teachers and staff manage every day. The little things add up, and higher satisfaction keeps your school running efficiently.
Poor indoor air quality affects all of us. You read the symptoms kids experience — adults suffer from IAQ-related health issues too! Staff need to comfortably breathe quality air in order to give their best to students. Nobody wants run-down staff — and clean air gives them a practical, healthy boost.
Allergy Flare-Ups
Both kids and adults suffer from a range of different types of allergens. School environments can cause allergic reactions from school supplies, cleaning products, dust, chemical fumes from paint or science labs, and more.
Removing harmful irritants and toxic particulates makes a huge difference. Providing clean air reduces allergy symptoms — and allows higher productivity for staff and learning for kids.
When it comes to having a healthy learning environment, our kids deserve nothing but the best. With the amount of time children and staff spend at school, clean air remains an investment in the future.
FilterQueen’s Defender Air Purifier Enhances Your School
High-quality air purifiers serve as a sure way to easily — and quickly — improve your school’s IAQ. FilterQueen has been in business since 1928 and understands the valuable solutions our Defender offers.
The Defender air purifier goes above and beyond the normal standard of HEPA filters. Standard HEPA air purifiers remove 99.7% of harmful pollutants from the air. The Defender removes 99.99% down to 0.1 micron! And yes, those little extra percentages matter.
Main Features of the Defender Air Purifier:
- Independently Tested to Eliminate 99.9% of SARS-CoV-2 Virus
- Removes 99.99% of Airborne Pollutants down to 0.1 Micron
- 3x Better than HEPA Filters
- Odor & VOC Capture with Enviropure Activated Charcoal Wrap
- Exclusive Education Pricing Available
- Purchase Orders Available
- Lifetime Perpetual Warranty
- Low Maintenance
- Bulk Discounts
- Assembled in the USA
- Worldwide Headquarters in Ohio
- Trusted by Millions Worldwide
- Quiet & Lightweight
The Defender gives an easy solution to every indoor air quality problem your school could be facing. With our main headquarters in Ohio, we’re proudly filling the demand of schools all over the nation. Help keep your staff and students healthier by choosing the Defender.
Find out how you can make a positive impact on your school’s air.