Poor Indoor Air Quality in Schools is Linked to Student and Teacher Absenteeism
As summarized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), poor indoor air quality (IAQ) has been linked by numerous studies to a high student and teacher absenteeism, as well as lower teacher retention. Past studies listed on the EPA page found that schools with poor HVAC maintenance routines or infrastructure had high levels of absenteeism and even a high dropout rate.
What were some of the causes for poor indoor air quality?
“Presence of moisture, water damage, microbiological pollutants, animal and other biological allergens, combustion byproducts such as nitrogen dioxide, moisture or dirt in HVAC systems, low ventilation rates, formaldehyde, chemicals in cleaning products, outdoor pollutants or vehicle exhaust.”
All of those listed above are issues for the human body. Moisture and water damage leads to mold growth, and various species of mold (a fungal group) produce spores that are toxic when inhaled. Animal and other biological allergens can make it difficult to concentrate because of the allergy symptoms (watering eyes, difficulty breathing, runny nose, etc.), making learning a challenge for the student and for the teacher, and lowering the ability to work at full capacity. Combustion products, vehicle exhaust, formaldehyde, etc., are examples of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are toxic when inhaled. They can cause all sorts of respiratory problems including the onset of asthma.
The consequences of asthma on school children are far-reaching. According to the EPA, “in 2003, children with at least one asthma attack in the previous year missed an estimated 12.8 million school days due to asthma.” With asthma and the other contributing factors to poor indoor air quality, student performance is also found to decrease with an increase in absenteeism because they are missing out on learning days.
But poor IAQ does not just affect students directly. When teachers are ill due to the quality of the air inside the school, the students also suffer because their teachers are not there to teach them. Bringing in a substitute typically never meets the level of their regular teacher.
Besides causing illness to teachers, when teachers responded to a survey in Chicago and the District of Columbia, almost 80% reported that the conditions of the school facilities were important regarding teacher retention. About 50% of the teachers surveyed said they would leave if their facility was graded at a “C” or lower, with the most important factor being cited as indoor air quality.
Protecting students and school faculty from poor indoor air quality is critical, and that’s why our ISO-Aire units would be such a rewarding investment. With its HEPA filter that removes 99.99% of air particulates equal to or larger than 0.3 microns in size and a bipolar ionization machine that eliminates pathogens (viruses, bacteria, mold, etc.), allergens, VOCs, and odors, our ISO-Aire™ unit provides long-lasting benefits for schools and their occupants that extends far beyond COVID-19.