How can schools be made as safe as possible in Corona times?
A group of high-ranking scientists around the Murnauer Prof. Dr.
Christian Schwarzbauer wants to provide answers through a pilot study.
The Ickingen elementary school also contributes data on the aerosol concentration in the air.
Icking / Murnau
- Prof. Dr. Christian Schwarzbauer himself has two children of preschool and elementary school age, so was personally affected. In addition, there was concern and frustration at the realization that "there are many institutes that could do something like this, but nothing happened". So acted the Murnau, professor of medical technology and medical informatics at the University of Munich: He started a research project in March. He does this free of charge and in his spare time, like other experts from renowned universities and research institutions whom he brought on board for the pilot study "Safe Classroom". The research started under Schwarzbauer's direction in 40 classrooms: Schools in Munich as well as in the districts of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Weilheim-Schongau and Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen are participating.
Peter Lang also decided to take part.
“Professor Schwarzbauer came up to us,” says the 43-year-old, head of the Ickingen elementary school, “and we were immediately impressed.
In this way, our school can at least help to bring clarity to an area that is still unclear. "
The project is to be expanded in the greater Munich and Mainz area
With the start of school in autumn, the project is to be expanded to 120 classrooms in the greater Munich and Mainz area and will run until the end of the school year 2022.
The researchers obtain anonymized values from practice, from a wide variety of situations, summer and winter.
Only he, says Christian Schwarzbauer, can assign the data to the schools.
They receive the results and find out how great the benefits of different ventilation methods would be for them in real classroom operations.
An interim balance should be available in November.
In this way, our school can at least help to bring clarity to an area that is still unclear.
Rector Peter Lang
The air quality is measured and recorded over a longer period of time, says the Murnauer.
On the project, which initially only runs in elementary schools, he is cooperating with scientists from the TU and LMU Munich and the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Chemistry in Mainz.
The researchers want to find out how different ventilation concepts affect the air quality in classrooms and the risk of Covid-19 infection.
How often do windows have to be opened to keep the aerosol concentration at a low level?
Do indoor air purifiers make sense?
This is what Prime Minister Markus Söder wishes for in every classroom this autumn.
Or would retrofittable ventilation systems, such as those developed by the Mainz MPI, be the better alternative?
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Peter Lang is the principal of the primary school in Icking.
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According to Schwarzbauer, no more than 500 euros per room are to be charged for this in costs.
The basic version of the systems consists of an exhaust fan and a tilted window.
A comparative study by the MPI shows that this system, which can still be optimized with extractor hoods over the tables, has better results than opening windows and is comparable to mobile room air purifiers.
These devices have a positive effect on the situation.
According to Schwarzbauer, the question is "how great the benefits are in practice".
Privacy concerns quickly dispelled
After Peter Lang had read into the project description, it quickly became clear to him that his school would participate. His initially cherished data protection concerns quickly dissipated: the small box installed on the wall of four classrooms only analyzes the room or breathing air, "and fortunately, oxygen molecules don't have a name," says the rector with a smile. The sensor transmits the measured parameters - carbon dioxide, humidity, temperature and the fact whether there are people in the room - to a receiver within the school. The data is sent from there to the scientists via the cellular network. They calculate the aerosol concentration in the first step and the risk of infection in the second. Schwarzbauer "it's about creating a solid database,so that decisions are made on a factual basis and not out of pressure ”.
In Icking, the sensors have been recording data since the spring - initially about the air quality, which teachers and students tried to improve by repeatedly ventilating crossways during a school lesson.
The new mobile room air purifiers, the purchase of which the Ickingen municipal council recently approved, will be used from autumn.
"In this way, the data from ventilation via the window can be compared with that from the use of the fan," says Lang.
Half of the 60,000 euro budget covered
Despite the importance of the study, Schwarzbauer and colleagues had to collect funds from foundations and independent sponsors because there was no government funding available for it at short notice.
“Amazing”, thinks the Murnau.
Around half of the necessary 60,000 euro budget for hardware has been covered so far.
The discussion about air purifiers for schools across Germany is likely to be a billion-dollar business.
The work of the researchers does not please all sides: One is, says Schwarzbauer, "also hostile".
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