Most people know that outdoor air pollution can affect health, but indoor air pollution can also have a significant health impact. Exposure research conducted by the United States EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) on air pollutants demonstrates that levels of indoor pollutants can be 2-5 times, or even more than 100 times more than the outdoor levels. The level of these indoor air pollutants is problematic because most people spend about 90% of their indoor time.
Why Care About Indoor Air Quality
Good indoor air quality creates a good environment for students, results for teachers and staff, comfort, health and well-being. Combining these elements allows schools to perform their core educational tasks in children.
Management of air pollutants includes proper intake and distribution of outdoor air and maintenance of acceptable temperatures and relative humidity.
Focusing on thermal comfort is the basis of many complaints of “poor air quality”, so temperature and humidity cannot be ignored. In addition, temperature and humidity are one of the many elements that impact indoor pollutants.
Outdoor air enters the school building through windows, doors, and ventilation systems (read air purifier reviews), so outdoor air must also be considered. As a result, transportation and ground maintenance activities are reasons that have an effect on the amount of indoor pollutants and so as air quality outdoors on the school campuses.
Why IAQ matters
Comparative risk studies conducted by the EPA and the Scientific Advisory Board have often determined indoor health pollution as one of the top five environmental risks to public health. Good indoor air quality is an important part of a healthy indoor environment and helps schools achieve their children’s primary goals in education.
One in 13 school-age children suffer from asthma, which is a major cause of absenteeism due to chronic illness. There is strong evidence that asthma symptoms can occur if the indoor environment is exposed to allergens such as dust mites, pests, and fungi. This allergen is common in schools. There is also evidence that exposure to diesel exhaust from school buses and other vehicles can exacerbate asthma and allergies.
Indoor air problems can be subtle and do not always have a readily perceptible effect on health, well-being, or physical vegetation. Symptoms are not always good air quality, but can also be caused by other factors such as lighting, pressure, and noise. Similarly, indoor air quality issues affect people in different ways.
Children’s developmental organs may be more sensitive to the environment than adults. Children drink more air, eat more food, and consume more water in proportion to their weight than adults. Therefore, school air quality is particularly important. Maintaining indoor air correctly is not just a matter of “quality.” This includes security and management of student, faculty, and facility investments. For those that homeschool, homes will still have to follow proper ventilation of the home for better education.