Key takeaways:
- Opposition questions point, but experts say it’s better than zero.
- ‘It’s delivering some use, arguably in some cases maybe not sufficiently or not a lot of use, but it is delivering some benefit,’ states Jeffrey Siegel.
HEPA filters used for the prevention against covid:
Several PEI students will notice something new in their classrooms when they return to offline education on Monday, Jan. 31.
Over the previous two weeks, the region has bought 175 HEPA filters for schools. The portable air-filtration systems will go in classrooms that don’t include mechanical ventilation systems.
Jeffrey Siegel, a teacher at the University of Toronto who specializes in indoor air differentia, stated HEPA filters could assist prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the air.
Also read: UPEI holds a return to offline learning
“Fundamentally, a HEPA filter is two things: a fan and a filter. And the fan moves air and, significantly, it moves air via a filter media,” he stated, “and what that filter media do, you can sort of think of it like pushing the air. It draws particles from the air, including respiratory particles that might have the COVID-19 virus.” Source – cbc.ca
However, the Official Opposition increases worries regarding whether the filters will do well to safeguard students.
“Not that they won’t do anything, they will do a little something, it’s a little like taking a portable electric heater and placing it in an auditorium,” stated Green MLA Ole Hammarlund. “Although useful as they are at taking small particles out of the air, such as COVID virus, they won’t even give any fresh air, so there’s sort of little issue in cleaning the air for virus particles, and then there being no fresh air for the students.” Source – cbc.ca
