Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NYC schools buying new filters for controversial air purifiers
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Sep 20, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Christopher Werth
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Sep 20, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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.
Unplugged Intellipure air purifiers in the corner of a gymnasium at John Jay High School.
Stephen Nessen
“The Intellipures have been in closets. It's been a couple of years,” said Sarah Allen, who teaches third grade at a Brooklyn public school.
According to her, the machines are too loud when turned on. She called the contraptions “low quality” and “a waste of money.”
Allen said most teachers at her school either built DIY purifiers with students’ help as part of a science lesson or bought their own machines with HEPA-certified filters. She said the last time the purifiers were turned on at her school was during the smoke crisis caused by Canadian wildfires in June. She said the machines were not effective at reducing smoke in her classroom.
Stephanie Landman, a spokesperson for Delos Living, defended the purifiers.
“After extensive product review, we remain unaware of any other device at this price point that offers the same comprehensive air quality benefits,” Landman said. She added that the purifiers “served a critical role in helping keep students safe during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also will deliver substantial (indoor air quality) benefits for years to come.”
The city purchased Intellipure machines and filters at a discounted rate, between $209 to $390 per purifier and as low as $53 per filter.
In recent months, Gothamist staffers have seen the purifiers used in schools as door stops, or sitting under desks and in janitor closets.
The Intellipure filters are supposed to be replaced annually. An education department official said the current filters have not yet expired because the devices are only being operated intermittently.
The department has not yet presented the Panel for Educational Policy — the 23-member governing body that votes on school contracts — with a request to buy more filters, panel member Kaliris Salas-Ramirez said.
According to Salas-Ramirez, NYC Schools CEO John Shea admitted in a private briefing to eight panel members before a PEP contracts committee meeting in August 2022 that the Intellipure machine “isn’t perfect” but “it’s what we got.” The education department did not respond to an inquiry about the alleged comments.
Salas-Ramirez said that during her tours of many schools, she’s noticed that the purifiers aren’t running in most rooms. She questioned whether the Panel Education Policy would approve purchase of another round of filters given Mayor Eric Adams’ recent order that all city agencies slash spending by 5% in November and prepare for further cuts next year. City Hall did not comment on negotiations for new filters.
“The fact that the Department of Education hasn't taken the time to find a competitive bid for something that actually works, which are HEPA filters, or to improve the ventilation in our buildings, is really frustrating because I continue to feel like we put Band Aids in to solve significant problems that impact our communities,” said Salas-Ramirez, who is a professor at CUNY School of Medicine.
Martina Meijer, another elementary school teacher in Brooklyn, said that she is one of two teachers in her school who still use the air purifiers. She said most of the machines sit unused behind the school’s auditorium stage, in closets, and even in the staff bathrooms.
Meijer said buying a new round of filters is a bad idea.
“It’s not a waste of money to have filters, it’s a waste of money to have these filters. These are not effective,” Meijer said. “This is what the DOE does all the time. They pick something that doesn’t work and then they double and triple down on it.”
Tagged
new york city
education
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Mamdani names re-entry specialist as chair of Rikers oversight board
Christopher Watler will help the department that a federal monitor says remains in crisis.
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 6, 2026
NYC weighs expanding upstate reservoir following drought
The Delaware River Basin Commission is evaluating options to increase water storage, including expanding a reservoir in New York City.
By
Rosemary Misdary
News
NYC weighs expanding upstate reservoir following drought
The Delaware River Basin Commission is evaluating options to increase water storage, including expanding a reservoir in New York City.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Legionella found in Staten Island building's water system after 2 positive cases
By
Catalina Gonella
Legal 'loophole' helps NY Gov. Kathy Hochul, Bruce Blakeman raise millions
By
Jon Campbell
Police identify 2 men wanted for stabbing an off-duty NYPD officer
By
Ben Feuerherd
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .