Thread by @MamaToronto

“How's the air quality in Quebec schools? Here's what we found

As fall approaches, the Montreal Gazette visited several everyday places to see how CO2 levels compare to those measured in classrooms.

Aug 26, 2022”

montrealgazette.com/news/co2-2

“The devices do not improve air quality but can be used to gauge whether a room is well or poorly ventilated. Since COVID-19 can spread through the air, they’ve also been used as COVID risk assessment tools.”

“ “If CO2 is increasing in a room, it means you’re not evacuating one of the contaminants accumulating, so that’s probably the case with the others,” explained Stéphane Bilodeau, an indoor ventilation expert and lecturer in the bioengineering department at McGill University.”

“ The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said 800 ppm is a better benchmark during the pandemic.

The Quebec Education Department, for its part, says that its “target” is for all classrooms to have a daily average concentration of less than 1,000 ppm…

…but it considers a weekly average of under 1,500 ppm a sign of “satisfactory air quality” – a benchmark experts have argued is much too high.

On a 30-minute bus ride… levels hovered between 500 and 600 ppm — not far from the typical outdoor reading of roughly 400 ppm.”

“During a morning métro ride, where most seats were occupied, readings ranged from 495ppm-719ppm.

Readings also remained relatively low at a public library (486 ppm), at 2 downtown food courts (596 ppm and 768 ppm) and in a hospital emergency waiting room (687 ppm to 867 ppm).”

“At a crowded big-box retail store, readings peaked at 1,174 ppm, and levels were similar during two separate trips to a busy grocery store (928 ppm and 972 ppm).”

“A 20-minute car ride with two people — with the windows closed and air conditioning running — saw levels reach as high as 3,371 ppm.

During a similar ride with the windows open, readings never reached above 600 ppm.”

“During two classes at a Montreal-area CEGEP this week, however, levels reached 1,443 ppm and 1,823 ppm. During other classes, including one held in a gym, the readings hovered between roughly 550 ppm and 650 ppm.”

“According to the Education Department, last May more than 99 per cent of classrooms recorded an average weekly concentration below 1,500 ppm.”

“Still, during the week of June 6, for instance, there were 172 classrooms with an average reading above 2,000 ppm, and 622 with an average of between 1,500 ppm and 2,000 ppm.”

“But the department has also been criticized for how it calculates the readings.

Olivier Drouin, a Montreal-area father who has compiled COVID-19 data in schools, began asking teachers to submit CO2 readings from their classrooms last January.”

“Drouin received a little over 200 readings during the next six weeks, at which point he says teachers were told by employers to no longer share data with him. During that time period, nearly 85 per cent of all the readings he received were above 1,000 ppm.”

“Teachers submitted readings higher than 4,000 ppm on six occasions, all from different schools. The highest reading, 4,941 ppm, was recorded in a private high school classroom in the Laurentians. The lowest, 406 ppm, was taken in a high school on the South Shore.”

“Drouin has urged the govt to release the raw data behind the C02 measures it tracks, arguing that basing decisions on averages doesn’t make sense.

If one afternoon, a classroom is at 4,000 ppm, it’s in that moment that you could be at risk of catching COVID,” Drouin said.”

““Of course, there will be peaks & valleys, but it’s the peaks that are most important. B/c that’s when you’re breathing other people’s air.”

(Bilodeau) also agreed w/ Drouin that avgs don’t give an accurate picture of the situation & questioned QC using 1500ppm as a benchmark.”

““1500 is really high,” Bilodeau said. “When you’re b/n 1000-1500ppm, you’re in the range where the risk is steep. You don’t want to be there... …imagine you’re in a classroom with those levels for 5-6 hours. You’re there Mon…& up to Fri. Every day…

The risk is accumulating”“

“Use of C02 Monitors, National Education Union, UK”

neu.org.uk/advice/use-co2…

“Your employer should be monitoring readings from all the CO2 monitors in your school. See our tips on how to make the most effective use of CO2 monitors”

“Most schools should by now have received their allocation of CO2 monitors from the DfE.”

“The level of carbon dioxide (CO2) acts as a proxy for the Covid-19 risk as people exhale airborne viruses when they exhale CO2.”

“To check the situation in your workplace, use carbon dioxide monitors to check whether ventilation is sufficient to keep CO2 levels below 800 ppm.

Indoor air at 600 to 800 ppm carbon dioxide indicates a relatively well-ventilated room.“

“Carbon dioxide monitors are not a solution to the problem of poor ventilation. They will indicate a problem that must be solved.”

“Boston Public Schools Indoor Air Quality”

C02 readings for every Public school online and accessible

bostonschoolsiaq.terrabase.com/#close

“French Pupils Monitor Classroom Air Quality As Schools Reopen”

barrons.com/news/french-pu…

Video shows children monitoring on a visible dashboard in classroom. When the levels are too high, they take steps to improve indoor air quality. This started back in 2015.

“Whose Breath Are You Breathing?”

H/T @KiwiFarah

🧵

https://twitter.com/mamatoronto/status/1546436301028737024?s=21

@CAVI_CO2 has a map of public libraries where you can borrow a #C02 Monitor

@theRavenApp is where you can upload C02 readings

H/T @LadyScorcher and @KashPrime

https://twitter.com/cavi_co2/status/1563353932088643584?s=21

#COVIDisAirborne

“Your Kid's School Needs Better Ventilation to Help Keep COVID-19 in Check

Aug 16, 2022”

time.com/6206343/school…

#SafeSeptember
#ProtectNotInfect

#FASSST

“Improving it could cut down on school outbreaks & the interruptions they pose to families, as well as mitigate the risks of MIS-C & #LongCovid in children—two long-term conditions that can result from a COVID-19 infection.“

“The Quest For Virosols”

Explainer Comics, with link to English animation

From the Aerosol Science Research Centre, Taiwan

H/T @jeffgilchrist & @DGBassani

aerosol.nsysu.edu.tw/en/scopes/108

#COVIDisAirborne

https://twitter.com/seattletimes/status/1563558982966358017?s=20&t=RserrLQFpj72liG7OEghqg