Breathe Easier: How You Can Improve Student Health Through Better Indoor Air Quality
School nurses are in a prime position as community health leaders to set best practices in their schools to promote healthier environments with good indoor air quality for students and staff. Children are more vulnerable to the impacts of air pollution since they are growing rapidly and breathe faster than adults. Additionally, asthma is a prevalent chronic illness among school-aged children and a leading cause of absenteeism.
At Chemical Insights Research Institute (CIRI) of UL Research Institutes, our goal is to help professionals across industries cultivate a healthier and safer world. We know that good indoor air quality leads to a healthier and more productive school community, and even higher test scores for students. The average person spends 90% of their time indoors and consumes four times more air than food and liquid combined. Indoor air is typically two to five times higher in pollutant levels than outdoor air, and the pollutants are a complex mixture of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), respirable particles, ozone and inorganic gases, pesticides, mold, and allergens. Exposure can lead to eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, skin rashes, dizziness, fatigue and flu-like symptoms.
In our laboratories, we conduct research using our state-of-the-art exposure chambers and measurement tools to create and assess real-life scenarios of human health risk stemming from pollution exposure. Our research aims to bridge the gap in knowledge, bring awareness and provide solutions to emerging health issues such as emissions from:
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3D printers
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PFAS chemical exposure from everyday products
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Toxic dust from wildfires
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Airborne infectious disease transmission
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Extreme heat illnesses
Plan to attend our session “What School Nurses Need to Know About Emerging Air Pollutants and Their Impact on Student Health” at In-Person NASN2024 in Chicago on Sunday, June 30 from 3:30 – 4:45 p.m.
This session will enable you to become a go-to resource on evidence-based best practices, learn strategies to promote healthy indoor air, and foster a safer school environment.