What is Clean Air Day? Why it is important to keep the air clean in our classrooms and workplaces, and how IoT Horizon can help your business to combat poor air quality.
Happy Clean Air Day! This year’s theme is about how air pollution can impact our heath from our first breath to our last. Did you know that every year, air pollution causes up to 36,000 deaths in the UK1?
What is Clean Air Day?
Clean Air Day is the UK’s largest air pollution campaign bringing together communities, businesses, schools, and the health sector. Their aim is to bring people together to share how we can improve our environments. We spend 90% of our time indoors, therefore, we must examine indoor air quality in the places in which we spend most of our time. For example, in the workplace, 94% of UK workers believe that the quality of the air they breathe has a direct impact on their health and 86% believe indoor air quality is less healthy than the outdoor air they breathe2. These statistics show that most people are aware that indoor air quality is an issue. So, what can we do about it?
How poor air quality is affecting our young people
Another indoor area that is massively impacted by air pollution is schools. More than one quarter of all British schools and colleges are in areas which have dangerously high levels of air pollution. This is because more than 2000 schools and nurseries are close to roads with damaging levels of diesel fumes and studies show that air pollution hits children harder than adults. With 1 in 11 children in the UK receiving treatment for asthma, it is high time we began prioritising the lung health of our young people3.
According to Government figures, more than one million children were absent from school because of a positive covid test. A contributing factor was poor indoor air quality and the lack of ventilation that caused a huge spike in cases and absenteeism. Even now, after COVID-19, poor air quality is still affecting children’s health. If the room is heated too high and carbon dioxide (CO2) levels are above normal, children will experience drowsiness and headaches which will ultimately lead to lower productivity and even lower exam results. The environment that children take tests in is equally as important as the environment that children learn in. Therefore, we have collected data in an exam hall as well as in classrooms.
What have we done at IoT Horizon to help?
At IoT Horizon, we help schools and workplaces across the country to measure their indoor air quality. The sensors include:
- Temperature and humidity (how comfortable the room is)
- Airborne chemicals and formaldehydes
- Particulates (dust, pollen, car pollution)
- Noise and Occupancy
- Carbon dioxide (a measure of how fresh the air is)
Through our IoT platform, Neronis, our customers benefit from being able to view the health of their buildings in real-time, highlight patterns in the data and identify issues. This information can then be used to improve the indoor environment.
Ultimately, IoT Horizon has a solution that will help schools to monitor their indoor environment and identify sources of pollutants. The solution includes easy to fit wireless air quality sensors, access to a cloud dashboard and monthly reports so that schools can focus on providing safer and healthier school environments.
What we aim to achieve in schools:
Improve Health – Overexposure to pollutants can stunt the growth of children’s lungs and worsen chronic illnesses, such as asthma, lung, and heart disease.
Improve Productivity – Studies show that a healthier classroom environment can reduce absenteeism and improve academic performance.
Reduce Heating Costs and Emissions – By monitoring these environments, IoT Horizon can identify areas of overheating and wasted energy within buildings.
Do you need help monitoring the air quality in your working environment? Contact us at sales@iothorizon.com
References
https://www.actionforcleanair.org.uk/campaigns/clean-air-day1
https://hrnews.co.uk/clean-air-day-is-an-important-reminder-of-indoor-air-quality/2
https://www.asthma.org.uk/about/media/news/schools-surrounded-by-pollution/3