Children in the kindergarten. Photo of woodleywonderworks.[/caption]
Over 64 million European students and almost 4.5 million teachers are affected by poor air quality inside their schools. Asthmatic people are particularly sensitive to dirty air and harmful pollutants.
What affects indoor air in schools? Outdoor air pollution, the characteristics of the building, its cleaning, maintenance and ventilation. Construction materials like paints, glues and other elements like furniture and equipment surfaces are also important sources of indoor pollution.
SINPHONIE (Schools Indoor Pollution and Health: Observatory Network in Europe) is an EU funded initiative that looked into indoor air quality in EU schools and its impact on children’s health. The project conclusions have been published together with guidelines to promote a cost-effective preventive approach to indoor air quality control. These guidelines cover accessible aspects such as cleaning, ventilation, heating, the use of equipment, as well as structural requirements for school buildings. They also contain specific tips for creating a healthy environment in classrooms, science labs, gyms, school canteens, locker rooms and recreational areas. The guidelines are intended to complement the already existing efforts at national and local level. SINPHONIE guidelines are available in English, French and German.
To inform people about the dangers linked to the air they breathe indoors, in rooms, offices and schools, the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission has published an interactive website on the effects of indoor air pollution on their health with practical tips on how to avoid it. In 2015, EFA will continue to call for an EU strategy on indoor air quality that is foreseen in the Seventh Environment Action Programme. New air quality guidelines (February 2015)
Air quality is an increasingly worrying topic both at EU and global level. The World Health Organisation prepares a resolution that takes stock of air pollution’s harm to human health, the European Union presents the guidelines for better Indoor Air Quality in schools (result of the SINPHONIE project) and the air quality community will discuss about pollen in an EU conference in March, key issues for people with allergy and respiratory diseases.
WHO resolution on air quality
On May 27-28 2015, the World Health Organisation (WHO) World Health Assembly will vote on the first-ever resolution on air pollution issued by WHO. The draft resolution has been proposed by countries like Chile, Colombia, France, Monaco, Norway. It acknowledges air pollution’s harm to human health and urges countries to increase their efforts to reduce any kind of air pollution across all levels. It draws particular attention to addressing and mitigating the health effects of air pollution through coordinated approaches, and flags a strengthened multisectoral cooperation at regional and national levels as way to achieve it.
In this sense, EFA calls on EU representatives to adopt an ambitious legislation and binding targets by 2025 with the objective of reaching WHO limit values on air pollution by 2030. Those targets could be reached with a proper revision of the EU National Emission Ceilings directive, currently under discussion at the European Parliament and the Council of the EU.
SINPHONIE Guidelines to improve Indoor Air Quality in schools
[caption id="attachment_6707" align="alignright" width="300"]
Children in the kindergarten. Photo of woodleywonderworks.[/caption]
Over 64 million European students and almost 4.5 million teachers are affected by poor air quality inside their schools. Asthmatic people are particularly sensitive to dirty air and harmful pollutants.
What affects indoor air in schools? Outdoor air pollution, the characteristics of the building, its cleaning, maintenance and ventilation. Construction materials like paints, glues and other elements like furniture and equipment surfaces are also important sources of indoor pollution.
SINPHONIE (Schools Indoor Pollution and Health: Observatory Network in Europe) is an EU funded initiative that looked into indoor air quality in EU schools and its impact on children’s health. The project conclusions have been published together with guidelines to promote a cost-effective preventive approach to indoor air quality control. These guidelines cover accessible aspects such as cleaning, ventilation, heating, the use of equipment, as well as structural requirements for school buildings. They also contain specific tips for creating a healthy environment in classrooms, science labs, gyms, school canteens, locker rooms and recreational areas. The guidelines are intended to complement the already existing efforts at national and local level. SINPHONIE guidelines are available in English, French and German.
To inform people about the dangers linked to the air they breathe indoors, in rooms, offices and schools, the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission has published an interactive website on the effects of indoor air pollution on their health with practical tips on how to avoid it. In 2015, EFA will continue to call for an EU strategy on indoor air quality that is foreseen in the Seventh Environment Action Programme.
Children in the kindergarten. Photo of woodleywonderworks.[/caption]
Over 64 million European students and almost 4.5 million teachers are affected by poor air quality inside their schools. Asthmatic people are particularly sensitive to dirty air and harmful pollutants.
What affects indoor air in schools? Outdoor air pollution, the characteristics of the building, its cleaning, maintenance and ventilation. Construction materials like paints, glues and other elements like furniture and equipment surfaces are also important sources of indoor pollution.
SINPHONIE (Schools Indoor Pollution and Health: Observatory Network in Europe) is an EU funded initiative that looked into indoor air quality in EU schools and its impact on children’s health. The project conclusions have been published together with guidelines to promote a cost-effective preventive approach to indoor air quality control. These guidelines cover accessible aspects such as cleaning, ventilation, heating, the use of equipment, as well as structural requirements for school buildings. They also contain specific tips for creating a healthy environment in classrooms, science labs, gyms, school canteens, locker rooms and recreational areas. The guidelines are intended to complement the already existing efforts at national and local level. SINPHONIE guidelines are available in English, French and German.
To inform people about the dangers linked to the air they breathe indoors, in rooms, offices and schools, the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission has published an interactive website on the effects of indoor air pollution on their health with practical tips on how to avoid it. In 2015, EFA will continue to call for an EU strategy on indoor air quality that is foreseen in the Seventh Environment Action Programme.