What Is In School Air and How Can It Be Improved?

The right building in a school setting can make all the difference between an engaged and energetic student body and students who are less motivated to learn. Well-designed educational buildings create a positive learning environment and encourage students to interact with teachers and with each other. Maintaining indoor air quality goes a long way toward a thriving student population. Learn more about what is in school air and how to help students breathe. 

Understanding Indoor Air Quality

Indoor air quality (IAQ) refers to the air condition in any building, and not the kind that keeps you cool. IAQ significantly impacts how comfortable you are in an indoor space. Picture being in a freshly cleaned, well-ventilated hotel room versus being in a room that still smells musty or dirty. 

Since people in the United States spend about 90% of their time indoors, IAQ can affect your health and wellbeing. Being in a room with bad air quality for a long time can cause health issues ranging from minor eye, nose, and throat irritation to serious respiratory diseases.

The Importance of Schools’ Indoor Air Quality

In schools, IAQ impacts everything from student performance to maintenance costs. Schools with lower air quality see increased absences, reduced student productivity, and reduced teacher and staff performance.  

School classrooms are usually more tightly packed than a standard office building, meaning more people are exhaling carbon dioxide into the air. Schools offer a broad curriculum and often have unique contributors to indoor air pollution. While rooms such as art rooms, science labs, and gymnasiums are usually better-ventilated than classrooms, students and teachers spending a lot of time in these rooms are exposed to air pollutants from solvents, chemicals, art supplies, gym mats, and sports equipment. 

Kids missing school because of bad air quality is not just an urban legend. It's important to monitor IAQ in a school to keep pollutant levels in check and keep your students and faculty healthy. 

Check out our webinar — Renew, Revamp, Revitalize: IoT for School Infrastructure Health and Sustainability.

What Does School Air Contain? 4 Common Pollutants

Even away from art rooms and labs, students encounter these common pollutants: 

• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs): refers to a group of chemicals emitted from cleaning supplies, furniture, paint, and other common items. 

• Particulate matter: refers to a mixture of tiny solid and liquid particles such as chalk dust, industrial emissions, dust, and debris from the HVAC system. 

• Carbon Dioxide (CO2): An odorless and colorless gas that naturally occurs in the air from human exhalation, combustion (from gas appliances, for example) and other sources.

• Allergens and biological contaminants: Schools can contain allergens such as pet dander, dust mites, mold, pollen, and bacteria. 

Why is School Air So Bad? 

Some schools are poorly ventilated, and most schools pack a lot of people into small spaces. About half of schools in the United States have air quality issues. This poor IAQ can impact students and teachers alike. 

• Respiratory issues: Mild levels of air pollutants cause irritation and inflammation, which can make your eyes, nose, and throat itch. At higher levels, or with prolonged exposure, this inflammation narrows your airways and makes it harder to breathe. 

• Cognitive performance: The inflammation from pollution also stresses your heart and blood vessels, which can cause headaches and make it harder to concentrate. 

• Long-term health effects: Being exposed to indoor air pollutants over a long period can increase your chances of developing cancer. It can also aggravate existing conditions including asthma and COPD. 

How to Improve Air Quality in Schools: 4 Strategies

Many school districts are being asked to do more with limited budgets, so it’s not feasible to replace every school with a new building. Instead, use these strategies. 

Enhance Ventilation

Start by opening windows whenever possible to introduce more fresh air into the environment. Since weather conditions are rarely good enough to keep windows open year-round, assess your school’s HVAC system. Make sure all exhaust fans are properly maintained and operational. Change filters regularly and make sure vents aren’t covered by furniture and other items. Next, check your ductwork to make sure the seals aren’t leaking. 

Implement Filtration Systems

If you have enough in your budget to upgrade your HVAC system, choose one that is made for densely populated spaces with high turnover. Look for a more energy-efficient model to save money long-term on utility costs. 

If you don’t have the budget to replace the whole system, upgrade your filters to MERV-13 or higher. These filters capture more particles than lower-grade models. You can also place stand-alone air purifiers throughout the building. 

Control Pollution Sources

You may not be able to move your school away from a busy highway, but you can keep the windows closed during high-traffic times to keep carbon monoxide out of the school. You can also shop for low-VOC cleaning products and building materials to cut down on how many of these compounds end up in the air. 

In the art room, look for zero-VOC or low-VOC paint, glue, and other supplies. Make sure these rooms, science labs, gyms, and other high-pollution areas have proper ventilation systems. Consider adding air purifiers in these rooms first if your budget won’t allow them in every classroom. 

Monitor Indoor Air Quality

IAQ monitoring in schools can vastly improve how your students and faculty perform. Internet of things (IoT) powered sensors can collect data on contaminant levels, particulate matter, and more and alert you when levels are approaching unsafe levels. You can make adjustments to improve your school’s air quality in real time before it affects people. 

IAQ monitoring systems can also help you keep tabs on HVAC and other valuable systems, alerting you when they need maintenance or repairs. IoT offers multiple solutions for school infrastructure’s health. For example, Denver Public School’s case study shows how the district used IAQ monitors to develop site-specific solutions that improved school air quality. This District is home to a large portfolio of schools in old and new buildings alike. These monitors generated insightful data that helped the District adjust HVAC systems in different areas and make the air healthy and breathable. 

Reduce Indoor Air Pollution in Schools With Attune’s Solutions

Just like we helped Denver Public Schools, we can help your school improve air quality to create a positive learning environment. Our team will work with you to design specific IAQ monitoring solutions for your needs. 

Contact us today to help make a difference for your students and faculty.