Effects of portable air cleaners and A/C unit fans on classroom concentrations of particulate matter in a non-urban elementary school.

ABSTRACT: Given the increased use of air cleaners as a prevention measure in classrooms during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study aimed to investigate the effects of portable air cleaners with HEPA filters and window A/C fans on real-time (1 minute) concentrations of PM less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) or less than 1 microns (PM1.0) in two classrooms in a non-urban elementary school in Rhode Island. For half of each school day, settings were randomized to "high" or "low" for the air cleaner and "on" or "off" for the fan. Descriptive statistics and linear mixed models were used to evaluate the impacts of each set of conditions on PM2.5 and PM1.0 concentrations. The mean half-day concentrations ranged from 3.4-4.1 μg/m3 for PM2.5 and 3.4-3.9 μg/m3 for PM1.0. On average, use of the fan when the air cleaner

SUBMITTER: Azevedo A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9714748 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature