2024-01-30 14:58:22
Some 30,000 cases of asthma in children aged 6 to 11 would be avoidable each year in France if exposure to certain air pollutants in classrooms were reduced, says a study by Public Health France (SPF) published Tuesday 30 January.
If the presence of pollutants and poor air renewal in classrooms have been established by several data – recently by the Indoor Air Quality Observatory – this is the first quantitative assessment of the impacts on the health of air pollution in elementary school classrooms, underlines the health agency.
“This unprecedented work allows us to estimate that several tens of thousands of cases of asthma in children aged 6 to 11 are preventable each year in France. [grâce à] a reduction in exposure to formaldehyde – as a tracer of more global exposure to volatile organic compounds – and mold in classrooms »according to his conclusions.
More precisely, nearly 30,000 cases of asthma could be avoided each year in these children by reducing exposure to formaldehyde, thanks to aeration and ventilation actions, and nearly 12,000 cases of wheezing, by eradicating the presence visible mold in classes, details SPF.
Seen the“public health issue” of air quality in schools, where 12 million students return to school each year, it is important to continue actions to reduce sources of exposure and improve the ventilation of classrooms, insists health agency.
Quantitative health impact assessments
Quantitative health impact assessments will be rolled out locally in 2024, which will provide finer estimates, essential for territorial action. “These new assessments will also focus on the impact of road traffic in and near educational establishments in urban areas and will make it possible to assess the health benefit of actions to reduce air pollution”according to SPF.
During his second presidential election campaign, Emmanuel Macron promised to launch “immediately a massive effort to purify the air in our schools, our hospitals and all public buildings”insisting on 50,000 deaths due to pollution, “including some children”.
At the end of August 2023, a group of doctors and associations warned of poor indoor air quality “in too many schools” and called on him to keep this promise.
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