Mobile air purifiers for the classroom | Darmstadt

• fromClaudia Kabel

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In several municipalities, air purifiers are being purchased for schools where ventilation is difficult. The Groß-Gerau district also relies on CO2 measuring devices.

Many parents would like to use ventilation systems so that their children do not have to freeze in the classroom if the recommended burst ventilation is carried out at low temperatures. Although the Federal Environment Agency ascribes the greater benefit to ventilation via windows, Hessen is the fourth federal state to provide funding of ten million euros for the purchase of mobile devices for schools.

In the Darmstadt-Dieburg district, the SDP parliamentary group is currently campaigning for 100 devices to be purchased. According to the school policy spokesman for the parliamentary group Matti Merker, 500,000 euros are to be made available for this. “Mobile air purification devices should be considered in addition to ventilation and make sense if organizational measures such as reducing the number of people or increasing the distance are not feasible,” says Merker. There are 81 schools in the district with a total of 3400 classrooms. Now those who need it most should be taken care of, said Merker. The purchase of 140 devices is also planned in Darmstadt, as the municipal press office learned on FR request.

In the Groß-Gerau district, money was also made available for 100 devices, ten for two schools have already been purchased, as District Administrator Thomas Will (SPD) recently said. This affects schools that, due to structural conditions, for example because they are on a main road, cannot ventilate during lessons. In addition, all 44 schools for which the district is responsible have been equipped with CO2 measuring devices. “This way you can be sure of how often you really have to ventilate,” says Michaela Eich from the district’s building management. At the Prälat-Diehl-Schule in Groß-Gerau, for example, ventilation is combined with a mask break every 20 minutes, as headmistress Annette Petri reports. The students would leave the room with a time delay.

Will rejected the request from parents to purchase systems themselves. According to the Federal Environment Agency, cheap air purifiers are not suitable. Among other things because of the small amount of air exchange and the noise development. The question also arises of who is liable for the mission.

In Darmstadt-Dieburg, according to the SPD template, self-purchased ventilation systems should also be able to go into operation if they have previously been accepted by the school service with regard to occupational safety and fire protection.

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