London primary school partners with Camfil to create a healthier learning environment

Stockholm, Sweden, 17^thAugust 2021 - Camfil has commenced a partnership with the Soho Parish Primary School in London, to improve air quality for the school’s students. Thirteen units of City M air purifiers will be installed in the classroom and common areas, including assembly halls to protect the students and staff from the harmful effects of air pollutants and viruses. Camfil's trusted clean air solutions aim to protect people, processes, and the environment. With many schools reopening after the pandemic restriction, it is more than important now to safeguard the health of everyone involved. This partnership is funded by the Westminster Government’s Schools’ Clean Air Fund which provides local authority schools and academies with up to £10,000 in funding to improve air quality on school premises. Soho Parish Primary School, an award-winning school in the heart of London, has opted to implement Camfil’s technology in response to new Westminster City Council guidelines that set out to tackle the issue of air pollution. According to the Government, the adverse impacts of pollution disproportionately affect young people, making it increasingly important for schools across the United Kingdom to reduce exposure to harmful pollution within educational settings. Westminster set up a £1 million Schools’ Air Quality Fund to help schools carry out audits and implement recommendations suggested by environmental specialists.

Camfil has expanded its help during the COVID-19 pandemic exponentially across the globe to protect people from adverse effects of spread. In Spain, the education department of the regional government of Valencia has installed Camfil’s air filtration solutions in schoolsas part of their strategy for preventative measures against COVID-19. In France, a clinical study was conducted around the efficiency of HEPA air purifiersat capturing harmful viruses and in this clinical study it was shown that Camfil HEPA air purifiers can capture and remove large concentrations of harmful particles in the indoor air. By creating 10 air changes per hour (ACH) it was seen that the City M product can capture more than 99.9% of the virus in the air. This strategy of removing harmful particles and pathogens using Camfil’s air filtration is applied in many schools in the French region. In the UK, many employers, hospitals, and schools have adopted clean air technology in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to offering clean air solutions that minimise the damage caused by pollution, Camfil has also developed a HEPA air purifier that is designed to eliminate harmful aerosol particles. According to the World Health Organization these inhalable aerosol particles are the primary source of transmission for COVID-19.

Look at the below video to get more insights about the project conducted in France.

Commenting on the partnership, Louise Ritchie, Headteacher at Soho Parish Primary School, said:

“As a school-based near Piccadilly Circus, we have always been concerned about levels of pollution and the impact on the health of our students. We are very impressed with the efficiency of Camfil HEPA air purifiers and, with the help of Westminster Local Authority and the Mayor of London Clean Air Fund, we decided to invest in these excellent products to improve air quality throughout our school. By working closely with Camfil we have been able to identify the areas in our school that can benefit most from these HEPA air purifiers. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, air quality is even more important. We have chosen HEPA air purifiers as not only will this help reduce the risk of airborne viruses but also work, long after the pandemic is gone, to reduce the impact of pollution in our environment.”

David Moulton, Director of Camfil UK, added:

“For a long time, we have been trying to raise awareness about the importance of clean air – something we see as a fundamental human right. We fully support Westminster City Council’s initiative to improve air quality for children and young people, which will, in turn, benefit their overall health. We’re eager to support the programme with our technology, which can significantly reduce the harmful exposure to pollution that children in busy cities like London are facing. It’s still early days for the Schools’ Air Quality Fund initiative, but we hope to further support other schools in Westminster as they take proactive and meaningful steps to improve air quality for their students.”