Montreal parents, experts asking for DIY air purifiers to be installed in classrooms

As hundreds of thousands of students headed back to school this week, it has largely looked like a return to a pre-pandemic normal.

Masks and social distancing rules have been lifted, and in many classrooms, hand sanitizing is the only measure left to stay clear of COVID-19.

And that’s bringing up the question of air quality in classrooms once again, with some calling on the government to change its position.

“Mr. (Education Minister Jean-François) Roberge, if you do not intend to resolve the air quality problem, let the parents and teachers do something about it,” said Olivier Drouin, Montreal father and founder of COVID Ecoles Quebec.

The debate about ventilation in classrooms has been ongoing since the beginning of the pandemic.

In 2020, many English-language school boards decided to buy their own air purifiers for classrooms.

But the province denied that the devices were necessary, and refused to allow French-language service centres to install them in their schools.

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And so now, some are asking the province to give another solution a try.

A petition is circulating asking for Corsi-Rosenthal cubes, also known as a do-it-yourself air purifier, to be put in classrooms.

“There are engineers who have compared them with commercial HEPA filters that are $1,000,” said physicist Nancy Delagrave. “The Corsi-Rosenthal cube would cost about $80 and they’re doing actually better. They’re less noisy and they have much more clean air delivery rates.”

Global News interviewed one of the creators of the air filtration system last week, who said it’s relatively easy to create the cube at home, and it was designed for exactly that.

They wanted people to have quick and easy access to an air purifier.

4:38 Corsi-Rosenthal Box

But in a statement to Global News, Quebec’s Education Ministry said the devices offer no guarantee of effectiveness or quality.

“Thus, their operation and maintenance would fall under the responsibility of the school system. If an employee or a child were to get injured, schools would be responsible. The ministry cannot condone taking such a risk,” said a spokesperson.

It added that the minister still believes in the position he has previously stated that air purifiers are not recommended in classrooms.