Air safety in schools

The pandemic has brought air quality the fore, but it isn’t just coronavirus that‘s a concern if air safety isn’t monitored in schools

Children spend approximately 1,000 hours in the classroom every year – this represents a lot of time breathing in air which can be harmful to their health if not monitored properly. Every year, in the UK, it’s estimated that up to 36,000 early deaths can be linked to breathing polluted air; children are at risk from long-term lung damage, both at school and as they travel to school. Worryingly, over 2,000 schools and nurseries in England and Wales are currently located in areas with illegal levels of pollution. These statistics show why it is, perhaps, unsurprising that the UK has the highest prevalence of childhood asthma among all European countries.

The school represents a significant exposure environment that can trigger health symptoms among susceptible children; therefore, it is very important that the school environment protects children’s health, and does not increase exposure to air pollution. School-aged children are more vulnerable to airborne pollutants than adults not only because of their narrower airways, but also because they generally breathe more air per kilogram of body weight. The exposure of children’s developing lungs to air pollution can result in reduced lung function which persists through to adulthood, increasing susceptibility to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

If you have 50 children in a classroom, all exhaling CO₂ in a room with poor ventilation, you can quickly reach a situation where children are being exposed to dangerous levels of pollution. Mitigating CO₂ is particularly important in a classroom setting because exposure is linked to behavioural issues, and a difficulty to focus and headaches. Evidence suggests that ventilation rates keeping carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels between 600 and 1,000 ppm may improve the cognitive performance of students. Other studies also indicate that there is a significant improvement in cognitive performance of students when the temperature in classrooms drops from 25◦C to 20◦C.

Installing air pollution monitors will help you understand when pollution is worst, and which measures could be the most effective at your school. There are three main types of monitors:

• NO2 diffusion tubes measure the average monthly concentration in a particular area. Ask your local authority if they can install one – they are responsible for monitoring local air quality.
• Real-time monitors measure particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide. They can provide really useful data, but they tend to be more expensive. Ask your local authority about what data is available in your area.
• Citizen science monitors. There are lots of affordable new monitors on the market. They aren’t able to give as robust readings as government-backed monitors, but they are good at showing you where pollution is worst, and in mapping cleaner routes to school.

The government and local s are responsible for tackling air pollution, but there are things that schools can do to help. For example, there are lots of health conditions that can affect the lungs; to find out more, visit the British Lung Foundation’s children’s hub and lung health information for adults. Some pupils living with lung conditions will have individual plans, including pupils living with asthma and cystic fibrosis.