SINPHONIE , an EU-funded research project on indoor air quality in EU schools and its impact on children's health, recently published its findings. Based on the evidence collected, the Joint Research Center and partners have developed guidelines for maintaining good air quality. This is expected to contribute to healthier school environments in Europe.
On school days, over 64 million European students and almost 4.5 million teachers have an impact on the air quality in their schools. Asthmatics are particularly sensitive to poor air quality and pollution.
The quality of indoor air in school buildings is influenced by outdoor air pollution, characteristics, operation and management, including ventilation cleaning and maintenance. Paints, adhesives and other products used for teaching purposes are also an important source of indoor pollution. The condition of school buildings is also important.
Based on the findings, the report concludes that to ensure good air quality in schools, attention should be paid to ventilation and air density.
Guidelines
Detailed guidelines have been developed to promote indoor air quality control . These include aspects such as cleaning, ventilation , heating , equipment use, as well as structural requirements for school buildings. on , science laboratories, gymnasiums , school cafeterias , locker rooms and recreational areas.
The guidelines aim to complement existing actions at national and local levels. They are aimed at boards and local authorities who are able to take action, but can also support construction companies school staff, children and their parents in their goals to make our schools healthier.
Contractor
The EU-funded research project SINPHONIE (Schools Indoor Pollution and Health – Observatory Network in Europe) is jointly managed by the Directorates-General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission and the Joint Research Centre. The project monitored air quality and related exposures among 5,175 students in 114 primary schools in 23 European countries. This allowed us to assess learning efficiency .
The project combined the multidisciplinary knowledge of partners from 25 countries.