Don’t filter out this message!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Air pollution harms health, especially for children. They face greater risks for coughing and difficulty breathing. And, children in lower income and high minority areas have greater exposure. What can be done?
Enter Shayna Simona and team at the University of California, Irvine. They wanted to see if HEPA filters – a fancy air purifier – could reduce pollution.
They measured air quality among three-hundred and fifty classrooms with and without HEPA filters. Classrooms with HEPA filters had almost forty percent LOWER average pollutants in the air.
Combatting pollution exposure can address elevated asthma rates in low income communities.
Now that’s a breath of fresh air!
Simona, S. C., Bartell, S. M., & Vieira, V. M. (2025). Classroom air quality in a randomized crossover trial with portable HEPA air cleaners. Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology, 35(4), 644–648. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-025-00743-9