Second Mesa Day School Buses Get New Time-for-School Filtration System | Navajo-Hopi Observer

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Second Mesa Day School is improving the air quality in its school buses by equipping them with MERV-13 equivalent filtration and UV-C technology, and taking a step forward to ensure the safety of students and school bus drivers by filtering the air on the buses.

Imagine 400 children crammed into a classroom intended for 25 students. That’s what a school bus is, according to Lumin-Air, a company that specializes in increasing efficient ventilation in high-density areas.

“They’re really crammed in dense space and COVID is an airborne virus, like the flu and stuff,” marketing director Jack Fillenwarth said. “It can just be passed from student to student if there is nothing to remove contaminants from the air.”

Lumin_Air said its product is effective not only against SARS-CoV-2, but also against influenza and other airborne pathogens.

With a focus of Second Mesa Day School’s mission statement on providing a positive and safe learning environment, Fillenwarth said the school is a leader in ensuring the air that students and bus drivers breathe on the way to school is clean.

“The way we look at it is everything they do at school, whether it’s social distancing and spacing, whatever each school does individually, those things are great, but if you then put on a crowded bus to get home…it really is the weak link between the community and the school,” he said.

Fillenwarth said the MERV-13 filter is what is recommended for schools, offices and government buildings because it filters 87% of contaminants from the air as air passes through them. With the addition of UV-C technology behind the filtration that kills more pathogens, clean air is able to circulate throughout the bus and helps the air move around.

“The air changes on the bus once a minute,” Fillenwarth said.

He said that unlike an airplane, where outside air is brought in, the purpose of a bus is to remove contaminants from the enclosed space and recirculate clean air consistently throughout the space.

“Cleaning and filtering the air on our school buses reflects our commitment to keeping our students, our bus drivers and our community safe,” said Tonetta Fred, Senior Bus Driver for Second Mesa. Dayschool.

Fillenwarth said there are certain technologies that put harmful ions, hydroxyl radicals, gases or chemicals that claim to kill viral or bacterial cells into the air people breathe. UV-C is fully enclosed within an enclosure and safe for occupied spaces.

“We just think it’s a safer way to do it and sets us apart from some other technologies,” he said.

Dan Fillenwarth, President and Andrew Desmarais, COO of Lumin-Air were on hand for the installation.

More information on https://lumin-air.com/.