Asthmatic Children and School Air Quality

Parents who keep the air clean at home often experience great frustration in resolving air quality issues in schools, especially schools in older buildings, in manufacturing towns, and in inner cities. Asthma, which has doubled since the 1990s, is the leading cause of school absenteeism and hospital admittance for kids.

What can you do? If your child is well at home but gets sick at school, and you are concerned it is an environmental issue, here are 3 areas to explore:

1. Old buildings. They can emit particles from lead-based paints, crumbling masonry, areas that have not been cleaned in years, and hidden mold. Poor ventilation is often present, and sometimes water leaks and pet infestation are issues.
2. Chemicals. Pesticides, toxic fumes from harsh chemicals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), fragrances, and cleaning solutions can be dangerous on their own, but the combination of chemicals can quickly send a child into an asthma attack.
3. Particulates. Classrooms are loaded with particulate that irritates the tender airways of children, including old furniture and carpeting, soot, animal dander from classroom pets, paper dust, clothing fibers, and dead skin cells.

Our customers have approached the problem in many ways over the years. Some purchase air purifiers for their child's classroom, which works well for younger children who stay in one classroom during the school day. It is more difficult with middle and high school-aged kids who move from class to class. For college students, an air purifier is a dorm necessity. Parents have also tried to collaborate with the school to have filtration systems put in the HVAC system and to change methods and cleaning products in the school. In some cases, groups of teachers and groups of parents have combined resources to buy air purifiers.

With our experience matching customers to the right air purifiers, we can help you select an air purifier for your home or school. We discuss technology, size, placement, when to run it, and more; we are here to help.

Austin Air air purifiers are terrific for schools, because they require little maintenance and feature large, long-lasting filters. In particular, we recommend the Plus models that address the full range of toxins. A small classroom under 300 square feet will be well-served by the Healthmate Junior Plus. A larger classroom under 1500 square feet will be better-served by the Healthmate Plus.

If you can get the attention of school officials to remedy air quality problems in the classroom, you will be of great service to not only your own child, but to all children and staff.