Thread by @PeteUK7

In Jan there was a conference:
Breathing achievement into every classroom
This conference was designed to probe the link between Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in educational buildings and the health, wellbeing, and educational outcomes of students.
UKHSA presented & IAQ experts.
1/🧵

This was something of a surprise to me.
I'm faced with a presentation from @UKHSA and some of their Key Recommendations are:
• Use of air cleaners in naturally ventilated buildings.
• Ensuring provision of adequate classroom ventilation
This seems like quite a breakthrough.
2/

~90% of UK schools are naturally ventilated.
This recommendation is that air filters are put into all naturally ventilated classrooms.
I've been calling for this for a number of years now and I never thought I'd hear @UKHSA recommend this given the years of pushback from Gov.
3/

But the presentation went far further than this.
It is clear that they know the link between IAQ and absenteeism.
They also recommend that cost/benefit analysis looks at the wider picture.
They know there are significant cost savings & health benefits.
4/

They know that better indoor air improves student performance:
5/

They know that higher ventilation rates are needed to cope with infectious airborne diseases like Covid and of course, this is the missing link from the presentation; it's mainly about pollutants, not disease and all past tense but I still take this as a major step forward.
6/

More on absence: They know that poor indoor air quality & environment leads to increased absenteeism.
They haven't quite made the link to infectious diseases & absenteeism which is obviously an even more significant aspect for absence through illness.
Nonetheless; still good:
7/

There are a lot more points to make but I just wanted to jot this out quickly to acknowledge the work of the people below from UKHSA (who are not on here) and share the hope that change is coming.
Thanks @mishwoz or @CleanAirClassrm for signposting me to this conference.
8/

Here is a link. Scroll down and the full presentation from all speakers, including Prof Cath Noakes and @HenryBurridge is available to download from this link.
Now we need to ensure it gets implemented & the right air filters are used.
9/
eurovent.eu/events/iaqmatt…

By 'the right air filters' I mean schools getting proper advice from folk who truly know.
Key:
High CADR performance with low noise. No added tech inc UV inside or ionisers. Low cost, low power usage, easy maintenance, accessible replacement filters, no auto function etc.
10/

I say this because I saw a UK Council lauding their achievements for what they're using and honestly, the machines installed tick almost none of the items on my list of key requirements ❌
Ending up with the wrong thing and spending a fortune doing so disappoints me greatly.
11/

When things come up for tender (as with the Council), please make sure the list of requirements is made by someone who knows this stuff; rather than someone who thinks they do or is just buying from a preferred supplier or based on some study or other.
Get the right advice.
12/

Lastly UKHSA are making these recommendations, true but who to:
Well I am assuming to policy makers to Department for Education and Government more broadly.
And if they know this is needed in schools, they must also know it's needed in all indoor settings.
Stay hopeful.
13/🔚

@threadreaderapp please unroll