Study: Air purifier use at daycare centres cut kids’ sick days by a third
This is one of the most frustrating things to have been ignored, post-pandemic — we could be avoiding so much unnecessary illness and sick days by just using air filtration more widely.
Use of air purifiers at two daycare centres in Helsinki led to a reduction in illnesses and absences among children and staff, according to preliminary findings of a new [year-long] study led by E3 Pandemic Response. “Children were clearly less sick in daycare centres where air purification devices were used — down by around 30 percent,” Sanmark explained. On average, daycare centre-aged children suffer 10-13 infectious illnesses every year, with each illness lasting from one to three weeks, according to the research. Meanwhile, kids between the ages of 1-3 come down with flu-like symptoms between five to eight times a year — and children also often suffer stomach bugs, on top of that. Kids are particularly prone to catching colds after returning to daycare after their summer break. Those illnesses are often shared by the kids’ parents and daycare staff, prompting absences from work. Sanmark said that employers face costs of around 370 euros for one day of an employee’s sick leave. “It would be a big savings if we could get rid of 30 percent of sick days spread by children, as well as the illnesses that go home to parents,” Sanmark said.
(via Fergal)(tags: air-quality air health medicine childcare children disease air-filtration)