A new initiative that galvanized over 1,000 young ‘pollution detectives’ from schools across the UK has discovered that the average indoor air quality index (AQI) in classrooms is nearly 46% higher than the average outdoor city-wide AQI.
The study also found that whilst children know that air pollution is bad, they do not know what to do about it. After participating in the ‘Actions to Breathe Cleaner’ (ABC) initiative which consisted of both in-classroom education and air pollution monitoring, the pupil’s knowledge of air pollution and how they might reduce their exposure to it, increased by 54%.
The launch of this initiative and the results of the air pollution data collected are particularly relevant today on World Health Day themed ‘Our planet, Our health’ where we are being encouraged to share stories about the steps we are all taking to protect our health and that of the planet.
