DIY Air Filters For Classrooms? Experts Are Enthusiastic -- And This Citizen Scientist Makes It Easy

[Jilly_in_VA]

Eric Schildge is terrified to go back to school in a few weeks. An 8th grade English teacher in Newburyport, the fear of in-person learning during a pandemic is familiar to him. He was in the classroom all last year. He remembers being upbeat and positive around the students but secretly scared.

Schildge has channeled his fear into learning everything he can about clean air and ventilation for his classroom. He went back and forth on Twitter with renowned experts. When waiting to pick up his daughter from daycare, he’d pull up studies online.

“Reading tiny little words on the screen of my phone, trying to just squeeze in a few minutes that I had here and there to try to find out as much information as I could,” Schildge said.

He was looking for something simple and effective — something he could do himself.

It was that same goal that got Don Blair excited about a DIY air purifier, one that’s designed by a renowned air quality expert but can be built by a total amateur. Blair, a citizen scientist in the Boston area, has been spending his spare time pulling together the resources and pro tips teachers like Schildge need to build this homemade air purifier for their classrooms. (GBH News had experts vet Blair’s open-source designs, step-by-step guide and the tips on his website, and they gave it their blessing.)

https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2021/08/17/diy-air-filters-for-classrooms-experts-are-enthusiastic-and-a-citizen-scientist-makes-it-easy
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This might be the coolest thing I've read all day!

[PortTack]

1. Good hepa filters are inexpensive and filter virus sized particles

[Throck]

2. Put some UV lights on the inside.

There's some great LED options out there.

[MyOwnPeace]

3. Governor Death......

would probably outlaw the use of them.....

[frazzled]

4. EPA says "air cleaner is not enough to protect people from COVID-19"

It must be used in conjunction with best practices, such as masking, social distancing, vaccination, etc. So if it makes this teacher feel safer, I say great. But without a mask mandate at the school, it's probably not enough.

[mucifer]

11. I read the whole article. It never said it replaces masks distancing and vax. Not sure where

you got that info.

[frazzled]

12. "lack of a mask mandate in schools" in his district

From the article:

While Eric Schildge’s school district has bought HEPA filters, he says the delta variant and the lack of a mask mandate in schools has meant his anxiety has never been higher

[Towlie]

5. What in the world is a "citizen scientist"? What other types of scientists are there?

 
←

Maybe the author meant something like "amateur scientist".

[Nittersing]

7. The types that are actual scientists?

(Guy in story is an English teacher)

[Tadpole Raisin]

6. People working together for the common good. I love this!

[Duppers]

8. Love this!

K&R

[oasis]

9. K and R for ingenuity.

[GoCubsGo]

10. They built one of these on "This Old House" recently.

Which reminds us that one can use them in one's home, as well.

[Tracer]

14. I saw that episode also.

I wonder if they got the idea from the two men mentioned in the story.

[lagomorph777]

13. I saw an even simpler version on Youtube.

Just slap one filter onto the intake side of the fan and tape it in place. I imagine it has a little less airflow, but it only takes about a minute to "build".