Klaslokalen in Europa sterk vervuild.*
Volgens een Europese studie is het merendeel van de klaslokalen in Europa sterk vervuild waardoor de kans op ademhalingsziektes en allergieën sterk verhoogd wordt.
More
than two-thirds of European schoolchildren are exposed to high levels of air
pollutants, which are associated with an increased prevalence of allergic
respiratory disorders, say Italian researchers.
Air quality and pollution inside buildings is a source of increasing concern, as
it is known to be a major factor affecting respiratory health. As children spend
a large proportion of their day at school, Marzia Simoni, from the Italian
National Research Council in Pisa, and colleagues studied 547 schoolchildren
from five European countries.
The children were aged an average of 10 years, and their respiratory or allergic
conditions were assessed using a series of clinical tests that included
spirometry, exhaled nitrogen oxide, allergic skin tests, and acoustic rhinometry,
as well as information from a questionnaire sent to their parents.
Air quality in their classrooms was measured during the heating season by
determining the levels of particulate matter with a diameter of 10 microns or
less (PM10) and carbon dioxide (CO2). PM10 levels of more than 50 µg/m3 and CO2
levels of more than 1000 ppm were considered to be “elevated”.
In all, 77% of children were exposed to elevated levels of PM10, while 68% were
exposed to elevated CO2 levels, the team told delegates at the European
Respiratory Society Annual Congress in Munich, Germany.
Disorders were more common in children exposed to elevated levels of PM10 and
CO2 than those exposed to lower levels. Further analysis, taking into account
smoking exposure at home and PM10–CO2 interaction, revealed that elevated CO2
was linked to a significantly increased risk of dry cough at night, at an odds
ratio of 3.50, and an increased risk of recent rhinitis of borderline
significance, at an odds ratio of 2.12.
Wheezing was non-significantly linked to elevated levels of PM10 and CO2, at
odds ratios of 1.76 and 1.15, respectively. Elevated PM10 levels were also
linked to decreased nasal patency, as measured by rhinometric minimum cross
section, both anteriorly and posteriorly.
“Air quality seems to be rather poor in Europe’s classrooms, judging by the
PM10 and CO2 levels,” said Simoni. “So we need to promote awareness of the
impact classroom air quality can have on our children’s health.”
16th European Respiratory Society Annual Congress; Munich, Germany: 2–6
September 2006
(Sept. 2006) (Opm. De oplossing blijkt na 20 jaar studie door de NASA zo simpel te zijn: voldoende verluchten en bijv. één Spathiphyllum in de klas en 20 scholieren hebben schone lucht. Kijk hier maar eens.)