Going Back to Science Class

Going Back to Science Class

By Jeff Miller, Church Administrator

Some of you have asked about a COVID safety update and I’m excited to share with you a recent addition to our church environmental system. We’re going back to science class for this one!

We’ve installed Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization technology–ionizers for short–on all air handlers. These ionizers ensure the quality of our indoor air by creating a plasma field within the air handler that’s filled with a high concentration of positive and negative ions. As you may remember from science class, ions are molecules that are either positively or negatively charged. Opposite charged ions attract while like-charged ions repel.  The technology uses these ions to clean the air in 3 ways:

1.       They reduce airborne particles by collecting them en masse. The ions attach to airborne particles that are subsequently attracted to one another. This increases their size and mass which allows the air filtration system to easily capture them, removing them from the air.

2.      The ionizers clean the air by breaking down odors into basic harmless compounds–like oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen–leaving the air fresh and free from “volatile organic compounds.”

3.      They kill pathogens such as viruses, mold spores and bacteria by stealing the hydrogen from these pathogens, leaving them to die. The ionizers do all of this without producing ozone or other harmful byproducts.

Now, that we’ve concluded our science lesson, allow me to say that regardless of our safety measures, every church member should make regathering decisions for themselves. We’ve been overjoyed to see those who have joined us already and we deeply miss those who have not. If you’re on the fence about attending in-person Sunday School and worship, feel free to reach out to a fellow SPdL member or someone on staff. We’d love to chat with you about this or anything else on your heart.