 In a study in Finnish daycare centers, researchers found that air purifiers decreased children's illnesses by as much as 18.2 percent. We must pass legislation that incentivizes and requires clean indoor air. https://yle-fi.translate.goog/a/74-20089670?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp 24 comments
@thomasfuchs @luckytran ikr, whatever happened to “nothing shocks me, I’m a scientist!”  @johncormier @luckytran Of course you can be surprised as a scientist, but this is a study in a field that has long suspected airborne transmission--that's one of the reasons they did this study in the first place. The result is neither something surprising nor new, unless these scientists didn't read any previous studies or research. @thomasfuchs @luckytran 💯 agree. Was just injecting a little levity bc as a scientist it is infuriating to have to battle the wilful ignorance of other scientists on matters of life and death.  @thomasfuchs @luckytran Looks like it's a clickbaity headline rather than an actual statement from the researchers. @luckytran #alt4you - Image one - headline: “The researchers were surprised: When the air in the daycare centers was cleaned, the children's illnesses decreased significantly” followed by “The result challenges the long-held notion that diseases in kindergartens are spread mainly through droplets and contact.” @luckytran Article continued, part 2 of 3: @luckytran Article continued, part 3 of 3:  @wakame @luckytran I was about to say the same thing, like how is that surprising at all? Thanks for sharing.  @stefistarlite @luckytran @wakame That the effect was that considerable for the children is vaguely surprising (because hygiene and young children like that don't mix much), but even if it only helped the workers that'd be a good start.
@stefistarlite@tech.lgbt @wakame@tech.lgbt @luckytran@med-mastodon.com In Finnish the article says that they were suprised by the amount of disease reduced and that the diseases mainly spread through the air even in an environment with kids not coughing properly and being in contact with eachother all the time.  @luckytran And daycare centers are extremely high contact environments where kids are engaged in close play. Even better results in school aged learning environments.  @luckytran Germans called children and schools “filters” and “they don’t need any further protection. @luckytran A lot of schools in the EU are actually putting air filtration in their classrooms, but I wouldn't jump to conclusions based on this very short article - the study isn't actually out yet... @luckytran There's also a reason why Helsinki specifically has been looking into this. Namely because A WHOLE LOT of schools in Helsinki metropolitan area are mold-infested. Many of these school buildings were designed as a temporary measure to provide schools for families that were moving into the city post-WW2 into 1990's. However, the more permanent solution took too long, which meant that these buildings started showing their age and flaws, which in turn, caused air issues... @luckytran ...So like... The problem's been around for a long while, which has been gradually worked on by building new schools and completely overhauling old ones that were salvageable. But it's nice to see some actual studies on this! I do not know what you should do with this information, but you're welcome I guess :D @luckytran Daycares have better rules than many do at home and can be the cleaning of toys continually and places in use by many... @luckytran I would like to know how this relates to long-term health. In the 90s it was recommended to avoid peanuts for small children which then caused a whole generation to develop peanut allergies. Or how overly sterile environments raise the risk of asthma later in life. Sometimes exposure is great, sometimes it isn't. From what I can tell it's not entirely clear whether air filters are a good idea for the development of a child's immune system  @luckytran how the fuck do abled people even survive? I mean seriously. Did they actually not think about this before now? Was it a money or distraction thing? I'm too resentful to be positive. @luckytran If I were a US teacher working in a school without adequate HVAC, I'd file an #OSHA complaint and try to get the union involved.  @luckytran @luckytran  @luckytran visiting my daughter's Kinder for the first time this week (she starts next year) I was shocked and pleasantly surprised to find not one but TWO fancy air purifiers! This is a small Kinder in rural Australia with a maximum 22 students: was already happy with the odds of low numbers, but this was just such an unexpected bonus. No idea why it has them, if the service provider is extra on the ball, or government grants, but I'm very thankful! |
Gregory's Server
@luckytran how were they surprised uggghhgh