CUSTOMER PROFILE
The Education, Culture and Sports Department of the Valencian Government in Spain has the responsibility towards education, vocational training, cultural heritage development, music, linguistics management, and sports.
THE SITUATION
The Valencian Government has collaborated with experts and researchers from the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research and the MESURA Association. This collaboration has led to the publication of “The Guide to Classroom Ventilation”.
Guide available
here.
This guide is based on the latest research carried out by the scientific community on the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. It concludes that the infection risk is reduced by decreasing the emission and exposure to airborne particles, also called aerosols, which are likely to contain the virus. Exposure to airborne particles can be reduced with the use of masks, increasing social distance, and by improving ventilation or using air purification equipment with HEPA filters to eliminate or reduce the concentration of virus in the air. Given that there are many schools and classrooms with insufficient or nonexistent ventilation, the installation of air purification systems with HEPA filters is the most practical and effective solution.
THE SOLUTION
Camfil carried out an indoor air quality study at the La Patacona Secondary School in Valencia. By using “City M” purifiers equipped with HEPA H14 filters, the air quality observed in a 50m2 classroom with 20 students reached ISO8 levels (according to ISO 14644) and PM2.5 concentrations lower than 3μg. The solution proposed by Camfil was to install and use the “City M” air purifier, incorporating 2x HEPA H14 filters and Active Carbon. These filters are widely recognized to be the best HEPA H14 filters on the market and with the largest filter surface area when compared to the other technologies offered in response to this tender. This tender specified certified filters with a minimum H13 efficiency (99.95%) according to the EN1822 standard. In their aim to comply with these requirements, many equipment manufacturers quoted their True HEPA filters as certified filters. These noncertified HEPA H13 filters were subsequently excluded from the tendering process.
THE RESULTS
More than 100,000 Valencian students and teachers are now protected against biological agents such as SARS-CoV-2 thanks to our “City M” air purifiers. Camfil HEPA H14 filters are certified according to EN1822 standard and are delivered with their mandatory individual scan test certificate. Their large filter surface area, the largest on the market for this type of purifier, provides a market-leading low-pressure drop. This, together with the use of high-power, premium fans, provides the user with unrivaled benefits, such as
- long filter life,
- less waste,
- low maintenance cost,
- low noise level at maximum flow rate, and
- very low energy consumption.
Schools must do more to protect their students and teaching staff. Children spend hundreds of hours a year in classrooms with the goal of learning and developing. Schools are spaces particularly prone to having poor Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). Renewing the air by opening classroom windows is not enough. It has been proved that the risk of infection in the classroom decreases with the installation of Air Purifiers equipped with HEPA filters.
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