Studies Show Poor Indoor Air Quality Causes Illness and Increases School Absenteeism
Most people are aware that outdoor air pollution can impact their health, but indoor air pollution can also have significant and harmful health effects. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) studies of human exposure to air pollutants indicate that indoor levels of pollutants may be two to five times—and occasionally more than 100 times—higher than outdoor levels. These levels of indoor air pollutants are of particular concern because most people spend about 90 percent of their time indoors.
Studies have shown that indoor air pollution can not only lead to respiratory issues and allergies, but can also have a negative impact on school attendance and academic performance.
The EPA and Center for Disease Control (CDC) encourages taking action to improve Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). Part of the EPA’s recommended four-step method to improving IAQ includes both bringing in fresh outside air, along with in room air filtration (UVGI), like Aura Air units. Let's explore why IAQ is important, and how it effects students and teachers.
Indoor Environmental Contaminants in Schools
A wide range of environmental contaminants can affect the health and safety of a school environment. Below are a few of the top culprits:
Indoor Air Quality In Schools Effects Ability to Perform
Studies demonstrate a connection between improvements in IAQ — either from increased outdoor air ventilation rates or from the removal of pollution sources — improved performance of children and adults.
IAQ problems can cause increased absences due to respiratory infections, allergic diseases from biological contaminants, or adverse reactions to chemicals used in schools. Respiratory health effects, such as infections and asthma, are most closely associated with increased absenteeism.
According to the EPA, nearly 1 in 13 children of school-age has asthma, which is the leading cause of school absenteeism due to chronic illness.
- In 2003, children with at least one asthma attack in the previous year missed an estimated 12.8 million school days due to asthma.
- Children’s overall performance decreases with illnesses or absences from school.
- Student performance also can be affected when teachers are absent due to illness.
- Controlled studies show that children perform school work with greater speed as ventilation rates increase.
- The performance of adults, including teachers and school staff, has also been shown to improve with higher ventilation rates.
Indoor Air Quality In Schools Transmission of Communicable Diseases
Studies prove higher ventilation rates reduce the transmission and spread of infectious agents in buildings. Occupants of buildings with low ventilation rates and high occupant densities experienced far higher rates of respiratory illness than did occupants of similar buildings with higher ventilation rates.
How To Track Your Indoor Air Quality In Schools For Your Entire District
To see everything we don’t see, SIVAD PPE recommends Aura Air and the Aura web platform, a one-stop shop to help you monitor and manage an entire school district from one place. Aura Air units are can also be installed inside buses. The system provides the ability to monitor and manage each space individually. Our indoor air quality rating system provides a comprehensive summary of potential infections, productivity, energy efficiency, sick days, and more.
Analytics
We realized how important it is not only to see what’s going on with your indoor air but also what’s happening outside. With analytics, you can get recommendations about outdoor air quality relevant to allergies treatment, HVAC optimization, energy efficiency, and bad weather conditions. This feature also provides road safety conditions for yellow buses and helps improve the experience for the passengers and the driver. In addition, Analytics also helps you see your ROI ratio by measuring the time spent on good air quality, energy-saving, allergy treatment, and more.
Facility Management
Superintendents can run their entire district’s tasks efficiently, and facility managers can use it to manage maintenance tasks such as cleaning specific classrooms and replacing broken light bulbs.The feature helps you run the entire building through one system with a mobile app to check off tasks and change modes wherever you are. Views allow you to share the air quality information by displaying it on screen for teachers, students, and parents. It is fully customizable and can even incorporate videos, school logo, and other information. This is a great way to improve your employees' well-being and match their working environment to our other clients such as Google, Monday, Check Point, and more.
The API helps you integrate Aura Air into your building management system and quickly transfer data into it. It helps create a seamless workflow that fits itself to your needs rather than the opposite.
Improve The Indoor Air Quality In Your Schools
Managing your school's air quality is essential for maintaining the health of your staff and students, but if you choose a solution with a strong management platform, you can get so much more than that. Discover how to get the most from the Aura Web Platform to meet all your operational needs by booking a demo with SIVAD PPE today.
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SOURCES:
https://www.epa.gov/iaq-schools/evidence-scientific-literature-about-improved-academic-performance
https://www.epa.gov/iaq-schools/indoor-environmental-contaminants-schools
https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2014-08/documents/reference_guide.pdf
https://auraair.io/blogs/education/breathe-easy-how-improving-air-quality-in-the-classroom-can-boost-your-childs-performance
https://auraair.io/blogs/education/the-aura-web-platform-an-all-in-solution-for-the-education-sector
