HEPA air cleaners in inner-city elementary school classrooms
Official title: School Inner City Air Study
Run by Massachusetts General Hospital · NCT05953233 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This trial will test whether placing HEPA air cleaners in elementary classrooms lowers airborne virus levels and reduces infections among students, teachers, and household members.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 6 Years to 90 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 200 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Massachusetts General Hospital Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Boston, Massachusetts) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | September 15, 2024 |
| Main results expected | August 2029 |
| Study ends | August 2030 |
| Registry record updated | December 11, 2025 |
| Trial ID | NCT05953233 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal participants are K–5 students (ages 6–12) who attend participating schools, their classroom teachers, and adult household members willing to provide consent and take part in air and nasal sample collection.
✕Probably not a fit
People who do not attend or work at the participating schools, who cannot perform home nasal swab collection, or who have severe chronic or neurodevelopmental conditions excluded by the protocol are unlikely to benefit.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
Classrooms in participating inner-city elementary schools are randomized to receive either active HEPA air cleaners or sham (placebo) cleaners. Students in grades K–5, their classroom teachers, and household members are enrolled and followed over time. Researchers will collect regular classroom air samples, nasal swabs, and symptom surveys (WURSS) and use digital PCR to detect viral material. Outcomes include changes in airborne viral exposure and rates of respiratory infection among students, staff, and family members.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the intervention could lower respiratory viral exposure and infections in classrooms, protecting students, teachers, and families and guiding school air-quality policies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies show HEPA filtration can reduce airborne particles and viral RNA, but randomized trials linking classroom HEPA use to fewer infections are limited.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: Children * Grades K-5 (age 6-12 years) * Attend one of the schools that the study team has permission to obtain classroom/school environmental samples * Have no plans to move schools within the upcoming 12 months * Subject and/or parent guardian must be able to understand and provide informed consent and also willing to participate in the study Adults * Adult (age 21 or older) parent, caretaker, or household member of child participating in this study, or teacher in classroom participating in study * Able to understand and provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: Children * Contraindication to or inability to participate in home self-collection of nasal swab samples * Severe chronic diseases (e.g. cancer, genetic or congenital disorders interfering with mobility) * Severe neurobehavioral, neurodevelopmental or psychiatric disorders requiring special assistance * Families who do not speak English or Spanish well enough to complete the survey questions, as validated versions in other languages are not available for all of the measures Adults * Contraindication to or inability to participate in home self-collection of nasal swab samples * Severe chronic diseases (e.g. cancer, genetic or congenital disorders interfering with mobility) * Severe neurobehavioral, neurodevelopmental or psychiatric disorders requiring special assistance * Families who do not speak English or Spanish well enough to complete the survey questions, as validated versions in other languages are not available for all of the measures
Where it's running
-
Mass General Brigham
Boston, Massachusetts, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Peggy Lai, MD MPH
- Email: plai@mgh.harvard.edu
- Phone: 617-875-9878
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.