New Air Purification System Installed

October 14, 2020

In an ongoing effort to make the school a safe place for all, Cretin-Derham Hall is moving forward with the installation of Global Plasma Solutions (GPS) Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization Air Purification Systems in the air handling equipment serving the entire school.

The air purification system has been documented to reduce the COVID-19 virus by 99.4% in laboratory studies.  Several area schools, commercial property management companies, and multiple city government buildings are also currently installing the same system. Two test units have been in operation on our campus for over a month.

The system uses an electronic charge to create a plasma field, filled with a high concentration of positive and negative ions without producing ozone or other harmful byproducts. As these ions travel with the air stream, they attach to particles, pathogens, and gases.

The ions help to gather fine sub-micron particles into larger particles, making them filterable. We have also upgraded the air filters that we use in the HVAC equipment. The ions break down harmful organic compounds into harmless compounds like oxygen and water. Contact with positive and negative ions have microbicidal effects on pathogens, which ultimately disrupts their surface proteins and renders them inactive by robbing them of life-sustaining hydrogen.

The ions travel within the air stream, cleaning the air everywhere, including spaces unseen.

"We believe there is great benefit for our CDH campus to have this air purification system installed as we head into the winter with both COVID-19 and the flu season," said Paul Solmon, Director of Facilities.