(194b) Using Low-Cost Air Purification to Mitigate COVID-19 Transmission in Schools and Community Settings

As COVID-19 continues to spread globally and societies continue to lift many of the mitigation effort restrictions, there is a critical need for effective, accessible approaches to filter indoor air to mitigate COVID-19 transmission. Conway-Morris et al.(2021) demonstrated that commercial HEPA air purifiers can effectively remove the size aerosols most associated with transmission of COVID-19, but these units can be cost prohibitive. Lower cost, commercially available air purifiers do not effectively remove the aerosols most responsible for the transmission of COVID-19. The Corsi-Rosenthal box filter is a DIY (do-it-yourself) solution that has the potential to fill this gap as it is cost-effective (~$75), energy efficient, and able to remove the aerosol size most associated with transmitting COVID-19. Lab-based analyses of Corsi-Rosenthal boxes have demonstrated their effectiveness.

A team comprised of researchers and clinicians from UConn’s School of Engineering and School of Nursing and UConn Health’s School of Medicine have deployed Corsi-Rosenthal boxes throughout school and community spaces in Connecticut. Volunteers built these boxes during several volunteer build events, and first-year engineering students built 100 as part of their freshman engineering course. We will present the findings from (1) real world testing of the Corsi-Rosenthal boxes in active classroom settings, (2) modeling of the air circulation when using two Corsi-Rosenthal boxes on low speed, (3) analysis of the effectiveness of the course-based assignments for helping student achieve the course objectives, and (4) a summary of the community perception of the Corsi-Rosenthal boxes deployed in different indoor educational settings in Connecticut.