Air pollution in schools causes 30,000 cases of asthma each year among 6-11 year olds.
- Nearly 30,000 cases of asthma could be avoided each year among schoolchildren by reducing exposure to formaldehyde.
- Nearly 12,000 cases of whistling could be avoided by eradicating the presence of visible mold in classrooms.
- “These figures highlight the importance of continuing actions to improve air quality in schools,” says Santé Publique France.
Public Health France presents the first results of his work concerning the impact of air pollution in schools on asthma in children aged 6 to 11.
“This unprecedented work makes it possible to estimate that several tens of thousands of cases of asthma in children could be avoided each year in France through a reduction in exposure to formaldehyde and mold in classrooms,” summarize the authors at the start of their new report.
The latest data in French schools published by the Indoor Air Quality Observatory (OQAI) indicated the presence of various pollutants as well as poor air renewal in classrooms.
Air pollution and asthma in children: the impact of formaldehyde
In this context, Public Health France carried out a study which provides a precise estimate of the impact on childhood asthma of exposure to two pollutants present in classrooms: formaldehyde – in as a tracer of more global exposure to volatile organic compounds – and mold.
According to the health agency’s conclusions, nearly 30,000 cases of asthma could be avoided each year among schoolchildren by reducing exposure to formaldehyde, and nearly 12,000 cases of wheezing could be avoided by eradicating the presence of visible mold in classrooms.
“This study highlights the importance of continuing actions to improve air quality within educational establishments,” estimates Public Health France.
“These actions require these issues to be taken into account in a coordinated manner between the different stakeholders, particularly between local authorities and the Ministry of National Education,” analyze the experts.
Air pollution in classrooms: what to do to avoid asthma?
According to them, the integration of health and environmental criteria in the choice of materials, furniture or school supplies used in classrooms could, for example, limit exposure to formaldehyde or other volatile organic compounds. The maintenance of ventilation systems and the layout of classrooms could also help reduce the air pollution present in these structures.
“Moreover, the study once again shows the health benefit of ventilating classrooms to reduce exposure to indoor air pollutants, an action which had been recalled as essential in schools during the Covid epidemic”, underlines the investigation. “Finally, this study reinforces the interest in regulatory monitoring of the air quality of these establishments,” she concludes.
Additional work is underway to assess whether local variations of the trends presented in this article are possible.
