Studies show that good indoor air quality in the classroom increases student's ability to complete tasks that require everything from concentration and calculation to memory. With that in mind, Molly Greco, a Speech Pathologist at Chicago Public Schools, decided to help her students reach their potential by getting a Blueair Pro M air purifier for her classroom to help eliminate airborne pollutants and give her students clean, fresh air.

School air purifiers are not that common, but to Molly, it was common sense to put one in her classroom. “I understand the importance behind air quality,” she says. The air that we breathe is like gasoline we put in our car. If you want a high-performance car, it needs premium gas to be more efficient, last longer and perform better.

“The same goes for children and adults with air quality and its impact on learning and wellness. The Blueair purifier creates a safer environment for my co-workers, students and myself by reducing air contamination that makes us sick and unable to perform at our best. I look forward to seeing the positive impact of cleaner air in students’ therapy and academic progress.”

At its worst, poor air quality in schools takes students out of the classroom due to respiratory infections and asthma. An air purifier in a crowded classroom of sneezing students can reduce the spread of colds and flu by filtering out bacteria and viruses. It can also remove allergy and asthma triggers.

Indeed, according to the CDC, asthma-related illness is one of the leading causes of school absenteeism, accounting for over 14 million missed school days per year. Monitoring and improving indoor air to reduce student absenteeism due to illness can directly improve a student's overall performance and can predict future academic success.

Another step towards improving indoor air quality in schools is to improve overall ventilation. The California Energy Commission reports that ventilation rates in most schools are below recommended levels, both in the United States and in Europe. In fact, in a California study, one in every three schools had ventilation rates that were less than half the recommended levels.

Opening windows periodically can help balance the flow of outdoor air inside to improve air quality. Removing pollution sources can also greatly increase air quality indoors. Common sources of pollution in schools include toxic cleaners, paints and materials with formaldehyde.

You can find technological solutions specific to air quality in schools from the EPA here. On top of these efforts, using an air purifier, like the Blueair Pro M, to eliminate 99.97% of airborne pollutants has an immediate effect, maintaining optimal air quality levels in the classroom easily.

Learn more about indoor air quality and schools here.