Air pollution at schools is seriously affecting students' health. Your duty of care means you must reasonably minimise and reduce risks of harm to your staff & students. Having the insights you need to implement effective measures to reduce the impact is essential. Accurate air quality data allows the creation of an impactful environmental strategy and air quality frameworks that will help keep the air cleaner & safer.
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that 93% of the world’s children under the age of 15 breathe air so polluted that it puts their health and development at serious risk. And Public Health England state that some of the long-term risks that air pollution exposes children to include asthma, slowed lung development, developmental problems, the start of atherosclerosis and an increase in wheezing and coughing.
But it’s not just children who are at risk, Public Health England state that the long-term effects of air pollution on adults can cause asthma, coronary heart disease, strokes, lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, diabetes and emerging evidence even suggests links to cognitive decline and dementia.
You can read more in our article 'The effects of air pollution and how to improve air quality at schools' published on Business & Industry.
Air quality monitoring is essential to ensure that the air quality within the school premises is safe. This can involve monitoring the levels of particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ozone present in the air. Schools should also be aware of any local or regional regulations regarding acceptable levels of these pollutants when setting their own air quality guidelines.
Our MyAir® web application allows you to view, analyse and download all of this powerful data, which can also be provided to others through a bespoke public portal. It powers you to make informed decisions based on accurate, high-resolution data and has a host of features such as source apportionment, 3-day pollution forecasting, alerting, Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) overlays and UK-wide MappAir® data for added context to localised air quality measurements.
Our near real-time MappAir® model provides high-resolution visualisations of air quality. It uses advanced modelling techniques and cloud-based data inputs including transport and weather data and applies machine learning technologies to create usable insights into air pollution worldwide. MappAir® allows users to identify key emission sources within an area of interest, complete with historical and predictive air quality data providing detailed and actionable insight into pollution trends.
Using an air quality sensor such as the Zephyr® collect your air quality measurements in real-time, giving visibility of air quality concentrations at its location.
The Zephyr® is an award-winning, indicative, certified air quality monitor that allows users to monitor a range of pollutants, including NO, NO2, O3, CO, SO2, H2S, CO2, TVOC, PM1, PM2.5 and PM10. With a selection of power options including mains, battery or solar power, the Zephyr® collects air quality measurements in real-time, giving visibility of air quality concentrations at its location.
Our Zephyr® air quality monitor has just been awarded indicative MCERTS, an internationally recognised standard regarding ambient air monitoring for indicative ambient particulate monitors.
“Using data extracted from our national annual average model, we found that over a quarter of schools in the UK are in areas exceeding World Health Organisation (WHO) limits. Children are some of the most vulnerable when it comes to air pollution with damage to lungs at a young age likely to impact health throughout their lifetime.
“These findings show that we need to work towards a place where we can guarantee that children are being taught in areas with safe air quality. Our national average data is a validated and credible source for finding out which locations across large areas are experiencing levels above advisory or regulatory limits. This information means we can improve future planning to safeguard children’s health,”
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Air quality at schools affects not only the environment but the health of students and teachers. Poor air quality can lead to health problems such as asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Read our Business & Industry article to find out more.
Learn more about how our award-winning, certified, indicative ambient air quality monitor, the Zephyr® can help you accurately measures harmful gases and particle matter at your school premises & educational campuses.
Be the first to receive an email invitation to sign up for our upcoming webinar this summer. We will be talking discussing air quality data around schools. Speakers to be confirmed soon!
