Blueair Launches ‘Clean Air For Everyone’ Program With Donation Of 200 Air Purifiers To Schools New Delhi

Blueair, a world leader in indoor air cleaning technologies, today committed to positively impact the lives of schoolchildren in India through a ‘Clean Air for Everyone’ program.

Blueair’s nationwide program gets underway with the immediate donation of 200 Blueair air purifiers that will benefit the lives of 10,000 students in schools across the capital. Going forward, Blueair said it is looking to make the program sustainable over the long term by encouraging like-minded corporations interested in improving the health of school children to partner in creating joint air pollution battling programs.

“Clean air is a basic right of every child, and a society’s concern towards its future generations is displayed in how it cares for those who are most susceptible and vulnerable. Sadly, air pollution is such an enormous problem that millions of children across India are breathing air that threatens their development, health and safety,” said Bengt Rittri, Blueair’s founder and CEO.

He added: “We are failing those children if we do not help them. On the back of the severe pollution seen during Diwali in Delhi, Blueair is launching this initiative by immediately donating air purifiers to Delhi schools as a first step.”

Children are particularly at risk from polluted air. A 2015 Blueair report that studied the lung capacity of children living in four major cities, including Delhi, found that 40% of the children in the national capital were suffering ‘poor’ or ‘bad’ lung capacity.

Today’s donation will benefit many thousands of school children by putting Blueair’s health-protecting air purifiers in classrooms across the capital. As part of a longer-term project, Blueair says it looks forward to working closely with the government to help spread the initiative and increase awareness among younger people about ways to combat air pollution and protect the environment.

“Fighting pollution is a partnership between people and governments, and should be jointly pursued. However, we must provide the most vulnerable immediate relief by at least protecting them from contaminated indoor air, which can be many times worse than that outside. For us, it is a natural step to start with classrooms,” said Girish Bapat, Blueair Director South and West Asia.

“We are always deeply concerned about the health of our youngest, and we appreciate the start that Blueair has made with this donation drive. We plan to use the air purifiers in the classes of the youngest students, and create a safe air zone in classrooms,” said Mr. Liris Thomas, Trustee, New Generation Trust, which runs schools called Rafa Homes for underprivileged and HIV affected children aged between 5 to 13.

“I started Blueair 20 years ago because I wanted my son and daughter to benefit from the same clean air where we lived in the city as they did at my summer house in the Stockholm archipelago. I am deeply pained when I see suffering being inflicted on innocent children by air pollution. For over 20 years we have been driven by the goal to deliver the world’s best indoor air purifiers. Now, with the ‘Clean Air For Everyone’ program, we are making a meaningful difference to children’s lives by providing them air as clean as nature intended,” said Mr. Rittri.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

– In its ‘Clean the air for children’ report, UNICEF said air pollutants don’t only harm children’s developing lungs – they can actually cross the blood-brain barrier and permanently damage their developing brains. UNICEF said outdoor and indoor air pollution are together directly linked with pneumonia and other respiratory diseases that account for almost one in 10 under-five deaths, making air pollution one of the leading dangers to children’s health.

– A new study in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine found childhood asthma was 20 percent higher among people exposed to London’s Great Smog event during their first year of life compared to those living outside the city.

– Schools in Delhi receiving the first donation of Blueair air purifiers include The Blind Relief Association, New Generation Trust, Guru Harkrishan Public School, Choghlae Public School and Nutan Marathi School.