NYC schools buying new filters for controversial air purifiers

The Department of Education is in the process of buying a third round of replacement filters for costly and controversial air purifiers purchased for every New York City classroom during the early days of the pandemic.

A department spokesperson confirmed in a statement that the solicitation process for a third round of filters for the Intellipure devices is ongoing.

A Sept. 12 public notice indicates the education department is proceeding with a one-year contract for the proprietary filters with Delos Living, the Manhattan-based start-up that supplied the purifiers.

The most recent round of filters purchased last year cost $27 million.

Gothamist has previously reported on questions about the efficacy of the Intellipure air purifiers. The city purchased more than 160,000 of the devices starting in 2020. Two were provided for every public school classroom, as well as in some common spaces like auditoriums and cafeterias.

The Intellipure devices clear the air at half the rate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency recommend to reduce airborne hazards like the coronavirus — and they don’t use HEPA filters, which the CDC also recommends to reduce the spread of COVID-19, according to a Gothamist investigation. Delos Living said in a statement they exceed industry standards. The city has paid the company $85 million, using a mix of local taxpayer dollars and federal funds, city comptroller records show. An education department spokesperson declined to specify how much money the city has paid to date for the purifiers and filters.

A Gothamist analysis in 2021 found higher rates of coronavirus in city schools that rely solely on open windows and portable air purifiers, like the Intellipure devices.

Teachers who spoke to Gothamist said the air purifiers are now usually turned off and collecting dust.

“The Intellipures have…