N.B. Education Department flip-flops on testing of school air quality
After CBC reports only schools with new ventilation systems tested now, official says there's a new plan
The New Brunswick government has flip-flopped on its protocol for testing air quality in public schools.
About an hour after CBC News reported that only schools with new mechanical ventilation systems would be tested — and not schools without ventilation systems — a spokesperson emailed to say the government had changed its mind.
"We were just advised that we will continue to test schools without a ventilation system until the school has one or the school is replaced," Erika Jutras, spokesperson for the Education Department, said at the end of the workday Friday.
She did not provide any explanation.
CBC had requested information Tuesday about changes in testing protocols.
Testing since COVID-19 pandemic hit
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Education has measured carbon dioxide, or CO2, levels as an indicator of overall air quality in schools without mechanical ventilation systems and with peak levels above the province's threshold of 1,500 parts per million the previous year.
Last school year, the department expanded the winter and early spring testing to include schools without ventilation systems that had peak levels below the 1,500-ppm threshold, as well as schools that had new ventilation systems.
But effective this school year, the department cut back on the program, a spokesperson advised earlier this week.
"Indoor air quality testing will only be completed in schools that have had mechanical ventilation systems installed as part of the school ventilation program to verify the functionality of the system," Diana Chávez told CBC.
She did not respond to requests to explain the change.
New Brunswick has 205 anglophone public schools and 90 francophone schools. When the air testing program began, 60 schools had inadequate ventilation. New numbers on the upgrades done so far were not provided.
CO2 is an odourless, colourless, non-flammable gas commonly created indoors when people exhale. It's used as a proxy to measure air quality and the rate at which air is being renewed, which can also serve as a warning sign about the risk of spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses, according to experts.
"Schools without mechanical ventilation systems will continue to operate portable filtration units until a system is installed or the school is replaced," Chávez had said.
Schools could request air-quality testing, which school districts would review and arrange if it was "deemed necessary," she added.
'All places should be tested'
Less than two years ago, the department said it was "focusing [testing] on schools without a proper ventilation system as those are the schools that have the highest likelihood of poor air quality."
Joey Fox, a heating, ventilation and air-conditioning engineer and chair of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers' air quality advisory group, called the about-face "unfortunate."
"It is important for people to know what the indoor air quality is like where they are. … Mechanical ventilation or not, it's still important to know," he said in an interview before the department changed its mind again. "So I think all places should be tested."
Fox speculated the government's logic might have been that until a school has a ventilation system, there isn't much that can be done to improve ventilation, "so what's the point in even knowing."
But there are steps people can take, such as opening windows and doors to circulate air, he said — and it's only by testing that they'll know they should.
We're forcing our kids into these buildings all day long. They deserve to have clean air.- Joey Fox, HVAC engineer
Poor air quality "has a overall harmful effect on society and health, and especially on kids," said Fox. "We're forcing our kids into these buildings all day long. They deserve to have clean air."
Portable filtration units are not a replacement for outdoor air, he said, as there are pollutants they typically don't filter out, such as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, gases that are emitted into the air from products or processes.
Good air quality helps kids learn, and there's evidence they perform better too.
"If we want to help our kids succeed, we want them to be healthy, we want them to be in school where they belong, indoor quality is an extremely important step," Fox said.
Schools with new systems among 56% above limit
The 2023-24 school air quality results, which were recently posted online, show 56 per cent of the schools successfully tested — or 36 out of 64 — had peak CO2 levels above the limit of 1,500 ppm.
Three schools had levels more than double that: Bessborough School (3,319 ppm), Riverview Middle School (3,389 ppm) and Petitcodiac Regional School (3,520 ppm).
At least three of the schools with elevated peak levels had new ventilation systems, including Keswick Ridge School (1,743 ppm), Donald Fraser Memorial School (2,086 ppm) and Harold Peterson Middle School (2,144 ppm).
Two other schools that were to get new ventilation systems in 2022-23 but were among six that got delayed also tested high: Birchmount School (2,282) and Nackawic Senior High School (2,373).
Department officials have previously described levels above 1,500 ppm as "less than optimal for learning," but not a risk to health or safety.
The department set 1,500 ppm as the peak "desirable" level for schools, based on consultations with WorkSafeNB and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.
Upgrades slated to be complete by 2026-27
The Education Department did not provide an update on which schools have been upgraded so far, or the timelines or cost estimates for the remaining planned upgrades.
But as of October 2024, 14 systems had been installed, 15 projects were underway and expected to be completed this summer, while "additional projects" were in the design and planning phase.
"The program will be completed as planned in the 2026-27 fiscal year," a spokesperson said at the time.
Peak limit too high, expert says
Fox said the standard for indoor air quality "considered acceptable for human occupancy" is 1,000 ppm.
"If you don't have that, then it's not the carbon dioxide that's harmful, but it's very likely there are other gases in the air that are harmful, especially volatile organic compounds."
For "good" air quality, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers' and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both recommend CO2 levels closer to 800 ppm.
Of the 64 schools with results, 61, or 95 per cent, had peak levels over 800 ppm.
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