Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Indiana School Buses to Get UV Air Purification, Filtration Systems

  • By Matt Jones
  • 06/04/21

This week, the Indiana State School Bus Committee approved the installation of ultraviolet light air purification systems on school buses statewide. The decision became final after the success of a trial program run in partnership with indoor air quality solutions provider Lumin-Air.

“This approval is very exciting for Indiana school districts and puts Indiana on par with other states who have already approved these technologies to help provide clean air in their school buses,” said Andrew Desmarais, Lumin-Air’s Chief Operating Officer. “Most importantly, Indiana schools can now implement a solution to help reduce the risk of transmission and better protect students, bus drivers and other school bus occupants against airborne respiratory pathogens like SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza.”

The system features enclosed MERV-13 filtration and UV lights, a more effective method of air cleansing than opening windows—especially in a densely populated environment like a bus. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued warnings about the dangers of inhaling exhaust and other outdoor pollutants like allergens.

The decision also comes ahead of the June 25 deadline for Indiana schools to submit proposals as to how they will portion out their Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding.

“If a school system spent a little over 1 percent of their ESSER funding on air quality in their school buses, they could have systems installed, including 12 years of replacement filters and UV bulbs, addressing the neediest portion of their facilities,” said Dan Fillenwarth, President of Lumin-Air. “This would be a huge step toward improving the health of students, teachers and bus drivers, and helping to protect schools from shutting down in the future.”

Lumin-Air has previously installed similar solutions in California, Florida, Maryland and Pennsylvania in both school and public buses.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Indiana Wesleyan University Schedules Grand Opening for New Welcome Center

    Indiana Wesleyan University recently announced that it will soon open a new Welcome Center on its campus in Marion, Ind., according to a news release. The facility will serve as the home base for prospective students and their families to learn more about the university and student life there. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for February 19.

  • Philadelphia Middle School Facility Earns LEED Gold Certification

    The Alternative Middle Years (AMY) at James Martin Middle School in Philadelphia, Penn., recently received a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, according to a news release. The School District of Pennsylvania partnered with KSS Architects on the project.

  • Niles West High School Natatorium Renovation

    Natatoriums are highly specialized spaces, and luminaires in this setting face several unique challenges. Perhaps the most significant is corrosion, which is exacerbated by high indoor humidity, condensation, and pool chemicals, often resulting in material degradation in luminaires not certified to perform in corrosive environments.

  • Vanderbilt to Partner with ABM for Campus Preservation and Modernization

    Vanderbilt University recently announced that it has selected ABM Performance Solutions for a preservation and modernization project at its New York City campus, according to a news release. ABM will deliver its end-to-end ABM Performance Solutions (APS) model to manage critical operations during renovation and maintenance.