The Quebec government had promised to install 90,000 carbon dioxide readers (CO2) in schools by the end of December. How many have been delivered and installed? The office of the Minister of Education, Jean-François Roberge, refuses to give figures.
“You will not have a percentage from us,” declared the minister’s press secretary, Florent Tanlet, to Press. ” Why ? Because it moves too much. The important thing was that despite the context of global shortage, 100% of our priority classes 1 and 2 were paid. It did. ”
At the Montreal School Service Center (CSSDM), this represents only 25% of schools. Indeed, according to the CSSDM site, readers of CO2 were delivered to the classrooms of 35 schools deemed priority due to very high concentrations of CO2 in these classes.
At the Pointe-de-l’Île school service center, we were informed that 555 CO readers2 had been received and that they would all be installed by Friday.
The Marguerite-Bourgeoys school service center specifies that following “the sampling carried out in 2020, no [ses] schools have not been identified as priority 1 by the Ministry ”. Sensors are in the process of being installed in the four priority 2 schools. “We have just received the equipment for 20 other schools and it will be installed as soon as possible”, underlines the director of the communications office, Chrystine. Loriaux.
Shortage of electronic components
The delay in delivering the promised 90,000 readers is said to be caused by supply problems, notably due to the shortage of electronic components, according to the Ministry of Education.
“The quantities delivered cover all the classes which had recorded a result greater than 2000 ppm [parties par million] as well as those which had recorded a result higher than 1500 ppm, specified the spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, Bryan St-Louis, in an email sent Wednesday evening, without once again specifying the number of readers delivered to this day.
Agreements were signed on September 10 with four companies (Honeywell, Nova Biomatique, Assek Technology and Airthings) to provide CO readers2 all preschool, elementary, secondary, vocational training and adult education classes in Quebec.
The cost of this measure is 76.4 million.
Aerosol reduction
What will these 90,000 CO readers be used for?2 ? “To measure air quality and manage ventilation in classrooms,” explains Ali Bahloul, specialist in industrial ventilation and indoor air quality, associate professor and researcher in chemical and biological risk prevention, mechanical and physical at the Robert-Sauvé Research Institute in Occupational Health and Safety.
“Ventilation reduces the concentration of aerosols which tend to accumulate over time in a classroom,” adds the expert. The more the students are in the class, the more there is a probability of accumulation of aerosols which come from breathing, coughing, etc. ”
PHOTO FROM THE SITE OF THE ROBERT-SAUVÉ RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Ali Bahloul, specialist in industrial ventilation and indoor air quality
CO2, like aerosols, “comes out of the breath,” says Bahloul. “So we can make a connection. It’s not always accurate, but it gives us an indication of the ventilation. This is not what will really give a total description of what is happening in the air, but of the concentrations of CO2 high levels may indicate that the room is poorly ventilated. ”
To reduce CO concentrations2 in the air, there are two methods: natural ventilation (opening windows and doors) and mechanical ventilation, which is done with an air exchanger.
“If we do everything we need to open the windows and we can’t reach [une concentration] of CO2 of 1000 ppm, for example, you have to add an air exchanger, ”says Mr. Bahloul, who does not recommend the use of air purifiers, because these, he says, could disrupt the work of the ventilation instead of improving air quality.