September, 2024: The terrifying expansion of wildfires and wildfire season is a fast-growing public health crisis. The Yale Center for Climate Change Communication (YPCCC) has published instructions on how to build a Corsi-Rosenthal box: a simple home air purifier to protect people in wildfire zones. This could be a wonderful project for Rotary Clubs to implement for families that can’t afford a commercial air filter.
“As climate change makes wildfires more extreme, people are increasingly living with smoke. The number of people residing in areas that experience at least one day of dangerous smoke pollution per year has increased 27-fold over the last decade, according to research led by Stanford scientists,” writes YPCCC author Samantha Harrington. “A DIY air purifier called a Corsi-Rosenthal box can help clean the air in your home, making it safer for you and your family to breathe. The boxes cost under $100 to build, less than half the price of commercial air filter units.”
ESRAG has reported on this solution before, but this year’s terrible wildfire season makes it the right time to provide all our readers with instructions. “The design was originally created by Richard Corsi, the dean of engineering at the University of California, Davis, and Jim Rosenthal, the CEO of filter manufacturer Tex-Air Filters, to help reduce the spread of COVID-19,” writes Harrington.
To make one, all you need is four 20×20 inch MERV 12 filters, a 20″ box fan, the cardboard box the fan came in, and a roll of duct tape. The only tool you need is a box cutter or a pair of scissors. “To save space and money, some people build a filter with a box fan and a single air filter,” adds Rosenthal.
Tell the recipients to “combine your new Corsi-Rosenthal box with other safety precautions, such as keeping windows tightly sealed. If your home is drafty, the Environmental Protection Agency suggests designating one room to be the ‘clean air room.’ Keep your Corsi-Rosenthal box in that room and spend as much time as you can there.”
Photo credit: Samantha Harrington, Yale Center for Climate Change Communication
