Air purification a must for SA schools

The South Australian Government needs to urgently consider installing air purifiers in all schools as the staggered return to classes begins and to correct the misinformation circulating regarding efficacy, says the provider of a an Australian-first technology which can reduce 99.999% per cent of airborne viruses, including COVID-19.

James Pollock, who heads national facilities management organisation ServiceFM which distributes the Airofresh full-circle air purification systems, said parents were concerned about the return to school and the spread of COVID-19.

“Parents want to know whether every possible step can be taking to prevent their children from contracting COVID-19, including ensuring the air they’re breathing in classrooms is clean and pathogen-free,” Mr Pollock said.

“There have also been inaccuracies circulating about the efficacy of air purifying units, and we know that university testing has proven that pathogens can be removed from the air, including COVID-19. The filterless system means contaminants aren’t stored and the full-circle air purification ensures the entire environment is continually safe for students and staff.

“Now is the time to install air purification units, so that schools can be ready for the full return of students in the months ahead and parents can have peace of mind that their children will be breathing cleaner air now and into the future.”

Australia’s largest independent grocer, Drake’s Supermarkets, is partnering with ServiceFM to install the system, and ServiceFM has held talks with several schools and childcare centres nationally regarding installing units in classrooms, including several in South Australia and at Somerset College on the Gold Coast.

Somerset College Chief Operating Officer David Thornton said the school had partnered with Airofresh over the past year to demonstrate the benefits of its air purification technology.

“The technology has been safe and effective in classrooms, effectively remediating some challenging air quality issues and providing excellent air quality for both students and teachers,” Mr Thornton said.

“The benefit to indoor air quality has been validated by our investment in real-time, multimodal air quality monitoring in the Airofresh treated classrooms. This allows us to track air quality prior to, and when the Airofresh units are operating.”

Airofresh Managing Director Jon Taylor said the air purification units were designed to clean an environment by generating safe, reactive molecules, which destroy airborne viruses, bacteria and atmospheric contaminants.

“Airofresh uses electric and magnetic fields, which impact on water vapour. A series of processes take place involving sequenced energy transfer, electro-protolysis, catalytics and ionization,” Mr Taylor said.

Mr Taylor said the AiroFresh system was able to destroy airborne contaminants, reduce disease and cross contamination, manage infection control, clean toxic gasses and remove unpleasant odours. The system could also work in parallel with reverse-cycle air conditioners, making it ideal for classrooms and the school environment.