Viruses and germs have been coming to school with students for generations, but the COVID-19 pandemic brought the issue of communal diseases to the forefront of school safety. With most schools back to partial or full in-person learning, understanding how to battle the way germs spread for kids and how to clean and disinfect schools properly is more essential than ever.
Even without COVID-19, about 40 percent of students ages 5–17 will miss at least three days of school each year because of illness. Research from Johns Hopkins Medicine shows that each year elementary school children experience six to eight colds, and high school students get three or four colds. Other common communal viruses include respiratory flu, stomach flu, pink eye and hand, foot and mouth disease. High-traffic areas like hallways, gyms and cafeterias are ideal places for bacteria, mold and viruses to live and grow — and spread.
Fortunately, more is known now about how these illnesses spread. Rhinoviruses, which cause the common cold, can be contracted through the air, but getting a cold after contact with an infected surface is far more likely. Bacteria and viruses are resilient. Even after disinfecting, rhinoviruses have been shown to linger longer on surfaces, and some viruses survive for days.
Typical school sanitizing like wiping down shared surfaces isn’t 100% effective. Even the best, most studious cleaning staff can’t stay ahead of the daily coughing, sneezing and surface touching that classrooms and halls experience minute by minute throughout every day.
The only effective treatment to prevent the spread of germs in schools is to sanitize both the air and surfaces continuously, and only Pyure technology does that. It’s based on nearly 100 years of proven UV sanitizing technology used by healthcare facilities, food and agriculture, senior living centers, industrial sites and more, and it’s ideal for schools because it purifies constantly. You don’t have to wait for students to leave to start sanitizing.
Best of all, Pyure does it in a way inspired by nature. Sunlight creates hydroxyls that sanitize outdoor air so that it’s safe to breathe. Hydroxyls don’t exist naturally indoors, but as this video shows, our innovative, patented technology brings the way the sun sanitizes the outdoor environment inside to protect students, staff and families. The result is the sanitization of indoor air and surfaces in a completely safe way for people.
Get the facts on preventing the spread of germs in schools from independent labs and from schools that use Pyure technology.
In a pathogen destruction test, Pyure progressively reduced the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the air and on surfaces by 99% in 20 minutes and 60 minutes, respectively. Virus levels were below the limit of detection in the air after 80 minutes and on surfaces after three hours. The presence of the influenza virus (H1N1) was reduced by 96% within an hour, and 99.999% of the virus was undetectable after six hours.
Executive Director of Facilities Management for Newark Public Schools
Only Pyure technology lets schools achieve the highest level of safety for both indoor air and surface sanitization. To help prevent the spread of illnesses in your school, get a quote from a Pyure distributor today. Be sure to review the ESSER funding in your state for an even better value.
