https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/commentanalysis/arid-41242243.html
"Becoming unwell has become a dreaded side effect for many families sending
children back to school. But, what if there was a simple way to break this
cycle? What if one simple thing could drastically reduce the number of coughs,
colds, and flu our kids catch from school, increase school attendance, and even
improve concentration?
There is — cleaning the air our children are breathing.
Since 2020, we’ve all been reminded of the importance of hand-washing and
staying home while sick. While these practices are important, they may not be
the best way to reduce the spread of respiratory viruses.
A growing body of evidence suggests that some of the most common viruses,
including RSV, rhinovirus, influenza, and Sars-CoV-2 are primarily spread
through shared air.
These viruses can be spread by an infected person simply by breathing. And like
cigarette smoke, these viruses can linger in the air for hours in poorly
ventilated spaces. Even staying home when sick, as important as it is, falls
short of a complete defence, as transmission can occur before an infected
person begins showing symptoms.
Because humans exhale carbon dioxide (CO2) with every breath, CO2 levels —
measured in parts per million (ppm) — are used to assess indoor ventilation.
Poor ventilation can lead to a build-up of CO2 indoors; if CO2 levels are high
(1,000ppm and above), there may also be a high concentration of airborne
viruses if an infected person is present. High CO2 levels can also negatively
impact concentration; A Harvard study showed that high CO2 levels reduced
cognitive function by more than 50%.
“We drink two to three litres of water a day. We breathe 11,000 litres of air a
day. We filter our water to remove pathogens so they don’t enter our bodies.
Why don’t we filter our air, given that this is the main way airborne pathogens
get into our body?” says Kimberly Prather, distinguished professor of
atmospheric chemistry at University of California San Diego.
The solution is simple. More and more studies are showing that improving indoor
air quality through ventilation or air filtration significantly reduces
transmission of airborne viruses."
Via Violet Blue’s
Pandemic Roundup: October 12, 2023
https://www.patreon.com/posts/pandemic-roundup-90829145
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
