Air Filtration for Schools

THE PROBLEMS

The statistics are a bit unnerving.

In Canada, 5.7 million school children and close to one million teachers, administrators and others walk into 15,000 school buildings every day – at least 50 per cent of these schools have been diagnosed with indoor air quality problems.1

The most precious natural resource of any country is found in their young people. However, school systems in Canada and the United States are placing too many youth in jeopardy by exposing them to buildings that are less-than-conducive to a positive, healthy learning environment.

Our nation’s K-12 schools are challenged to serve a growing student population and rising community expectations with aging buildings, constrained operating budgets, and everincreasing energy bills. Each year, Canadian taxpayers spend $750M on energy for these schools – about 25 per cent more than necessary. That $188M could be redirected to hire 3,500 new teachers or purchase five million new textbooks annually.2

Add to this energy bill another alarming statistic: The Asthma Society of Canada estimates over half a million school children miss some 800,000 days per year with asthma, making it is the leading cause of school absenteeism.3

The Canadian Lung Association states, “Proper indoor air quality in schools is necessary for a safe and healthy learning and work environment.”

While we know many of the problems of school indoor air quality problems can be solved with good engineering practice and proper maintenance, repair and operation (MRO), cleaner air can be provided by increased levels of air filtration and provide the solution to many of the IAQ problems.

IAQ CONCERNS IN SCHOOLS

Schools represent a much denser population percentage than a typical commercial office building and as a result, the bio-burden becomes even greater. Viable and non-viable particulates are brought into the building on people’s clothing, and through open doors and windows. Furthermore, the activity level of most young people, which increases the shedding of skin cells and other particulates, makes school air some of the dirtiest air in any environment.

Many schools continue to utilize low efficiency (MERV 1-6) filters that remove minimal levels of all particulate matter. For any parent who has taken their child to school first thing in the morning and picked them up in the afternoon, the difference in the smell of the school at the end of the day is astonishing. For those in the school, most have become accustomed to the con-

NORSPEC F I L T R A T I O N Air Filtration Specialists

4704 - 91st Avenue Edmonton, AB T6B 2L1 Tel: 780-468-9296 Fax: 780-468-5806

“... every child and school employee should have the right to an environmentally safe and healthy school that is clean and in good repair.“

– Health Canada

dition and do not realize their air is full of particulates and odours.

H.E. “Barney” Burroughs, a consultant with Building Wellness Con sultancy noted, “When the building’s air filters do not remove the particles from the air, the occupant’s lungs become the filter.”

With these tremendous problems come tremendous opportunities. The National Air Filtration Association (NAFA), in conjunction with its member companies, has stepped forward to help school boards become better educated on air filtration solutions and provide cleaner environments for their students. Here is just one example:

CASE STUDY

Norspec Filtration Ltd. began working with the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) beginning in 2000. TVDSB began to realize that their “low bid” contract for air filters was not working when parents, teachers and custodial staff began complaining of poor air quality. They revised their air filter requirements with the note that they were looking for solutions to their air quality problems.

Norspec made a presentation to TVDSB outlining an “Air Filter Management Program” that included replacement of all low MERV number filters with MERV 8 pleated filters, along with MERV 8 synthetic ring and link panels. Next, Norspec assisted with development of a change-out schedule that involved a three-month survey of all 195 school locations to verify size, quantity, and existing status of the air handling system.

Finally, Norspec worked with the school district to assemble a “Filter Committee” with representatives from Norspec along with school officials and personnel from purchasing, maintenance and health and safety, who met on a quarterly basis to assess proposed solutions, along with addressing any filter issues brought to the committee.

Each school had its own filter change schedule and filter order sheet with specific times and dates for ordering and changing. The program was monitored by the Filter Committee. This monitoring revealed that the individuals involved in changing air filters knew very little about air filtration. With more than 400 people responsible for changing air filters, Norspec held five training sessions –one in each region of the district. Over the intervening years, this training has become a yearly event to accommodate new personnel and reacquaint existing employees with filtration concepts.

Finally, the Filter Committee made a commitment to meet regularly to discuss issues, troubleshoot problems and look for better ways to improve overall air quality. As a result of this partnership between TVDSB and Norspec, the school board not only found significant improvements to indoor air quality, but also realized cost savings from reduced change-outs in many schools, along with reduction of storage and damage. TVDSB also reported cost savings in other areas such as housekeeping and equipment maintenance, which was attributed to the improvement in air quality.

In 2005, Norspec Filtration Ltd. nominated Thames Valley District School Board for the NAFA Clean Air Award, which the school board subsequently received.

CAN UPGRADING AIR FILTRATION LOWER COSTS?

The answer is yes. Most of the time, the lowest initial cost air filter is not the lowest overall cost air filter when energy, storage, change schedules and disposal costs are included. The National Air Filtration Association and its member companies have the skill and expertise, and are dedicated to providing training and certification for air filter technicians involved in providing clean air to building inhabitants.

For more information, please contact Norspec Filtration Ltd. toll free: 1-800-265-0247.

Footnotes:

1

Indoor Air Quality in Canadian Schools, Final Report, Dalhousie University, November 2003.

2

Energy Efficiency in Buildings, Natural Resources Canada

3

“Asthma at School” article, Asthma Canada, 2005.❏