Why has the Department not compared the attendance data: · to data from the Department of Health (or Public Health Agency of Canada, if Health is not reporting data) on the levels of various illnesses during absenteeism spikes?
EECD has successfully added portable HEPA filtration devices to classrooms without mechanical ventilation, as recommended by the Research and Productivity Council report “Recommendations on the Use of Portable Air Filtration Systems in New Brunswick Classrooms: A COVID-19 Focus”.
The RPC report states “…HEPA air filtration units should first be considered for spaces that do not have any form of integrated mechanical ventilation system.” www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gn…
Why has the Department not considered the research cited in that report - research from the @CDCgov and @EPA , the @GovCanHealth , and the @WHO - which suggest increasing ventilation and adding supplementary filtration should be considered for all spaces?
Why has the Department not considered that improving air quality, ventilation rates, and filtration not only have been shown to reduce absenteeism due to illness, but also have repeatedly been shown to improve academic performance?
Cognitive testing of students shows a 5% decrease in ‘power of attention’ in poorly ventilated classrooms. Researchers equate this to the effect of a student skipping breakfast. tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.108…
Mean mathematics scores increase by up to 0.5% per each liter per second per person increase in ventilation rate, with similar effects on reading and science scores. doi.org/10.1371/journa…
Increased ventilation rates and child sick days were studied in Denmark. A 12% decrease in sick days was found per hour increase in the air exchange rates. doi.org/10.1111/ina.12…
CO2 as a proxy for ventilation was studied in 60 naturally ventilated primary school classrooms in Scotland. For each 100 ppm increase in time average CO2 concentration, student attendance decreased by about 0.4 days per year. doi.org/10.1111/josh.1…
CO2 concentration was measured continuously over two years in 162 US primary school classrooms with a mixture of mechanical and natural ventilation. For each 1 L/s (2.2 cfm) per occupant increase in ventilation rate, illness absence decreased 1.6%. tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.108…
Edmonton Public Schools have installed HEPA filters in every classroom. Calgary Board of Education has not, citing that their schools were already mechanically ventilated. From January to June 2023, Edmonton experienced 20% fewer absences due to illness. x.com/KmarkovCTV/sta…
Edmonton Public Schools have installed HEPA filters in every classroom. Calgary Board of Education has not, citing that their schools were already mechanically ventilated. From January to June 2023, Edmonton experienced 20% fewer absences due to illness. x.com/KmarkovCTV/sta…
In an Italian study of 10,000 classrooms, moving from natural ventilation to 2.4 air changes per hour (ACH) reduced infections by 40%, 4 ACH reduced infections by 66.8%, and 6 ACH reduced infections by 82.5%. arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/pape…
@Cyber_Murphy @AlbertaMom2 Fresh clean air. How reasonable.