{"id":10820,"date":"2022-11-10T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-10T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.gsa-messgeraete.de\/pollutants-in-schools\/"},"modified":"2025-04-28T11:44:21","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T09:44:21","slug":"pollutants-in-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.gsa-messgeraete.de\/en\/pollutants-in-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"Pollutants in schools"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Pollutants in schools<\/strong> put a strain on teachers and especially children. They often spend many hours in the same rooms, which can make them ill. Children<\/strong> are particularly at risk<\/strong> if they are exposed to them in classrooms, workrooms, laboratories or other areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n


Poor concentration<\/em>, allergies<\/em> and restlessness<\/em> can have their origins in poor and polluted indoor air<\/strong>. These pollutants then accumulate to a greater extent in the absence of ventilation. They slowly degas or are released, for example, during renovation work or due to contaminated sites in the buildings. Pollutants in schools<\/strong> can originate almost anywhere <\/strong>in the building.

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Possible sources of pollutants in schools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The pollutants in schools that are harmful to health come from the floors<\/em>, floor coverings<\/em>, plaster<\/em>, furniture<\/em>, roof areas<\/em> or other building components. In the post-war period<\/strong>, the majority of schools and other educational facilities were built with the highest levels of pollutants. Some of these are now banned, such as asbestos in 1993. Using measurements of harmful substances<\/strong> with the appropriate GSA measuring devices<\/a>, pollutant emissions can be analyzed precisely after sampling to identify possible sources of contamination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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Post-war schools and new buildings contaminated with pollutants<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Buildings from the 1950s to 1970s <\/strong>with contaminated sites<\/strong> are likely to contain particularly high concentrations of pollutants that are difficult to break down and harmful to health. In addition to the noise and learning stress for schoolchildren, it is the pollutants that can gradually make them ill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harmful pollutants can also be released into the indoor air of pupils and school staff during new construction<\/strong>, modernization<\/strong> or refurbishment<\/strong>. During modernization, the indoor air<\/strong> can be heavily polluted<\/strong> by untested building materials. Health complaints such as respiratory diseases<\/em>, headaches<\/em>, dry coughs <\/em>or nausea <\/em>can be triggered by pollutants in schools<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pollutants are more harmful to the health and well-being of children than adults. Their skin, as the largest organ, is much more exposed to pollutants. They have a stronger respiratory system and a higher metabolism, which can absorb more pollutants. In addition, they cannot effectively break down pollutants using their detoxification enzymes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n


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Frequent detectable pollutant emissions in schools:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asbestos in schools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Until the 1980s<\/strong>, materials containing asbestos were still used in school buildings <\/strong>and other facilities such as universities <\/strong>and day-care centers<\/strong>. As buildings age and are used for long periods of time, fibers are gradually released and can lead to health hazards. Even if the asbestos-containing substances are initially firmly bound in the building materials, they can easily be released through removal, drilling or grinding, for example. The use and trade of materials containing asbestos<\/strong> has been banned<\/strong> since 1993<\/strong>.
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Sprayed asbestos<\/strong> was used in roof and fa\u00e7ade panels<\/em>, flower boxes<\/em>, window sills<\/em>, lightweight partition walls<\/em>, in shafts<\/em> and especially in air conditioning systems<\/em>. The harmful asbestos fibers can easily spread through these and enter connected rooms. Materials containing asbestos <\/strong>can also still be found in old joint sealants<\/em>, adhesives<\/em> and other products. They are fireproof, have good sealing properties and are durable. In schools, the proportion of asbestos cement products is around 15% by weight and in the case of weakly bonded asbestos products, the proportion of sprayed asbestos is over 60% by weight.

Asbestos<\/a> can cause various types of cancer<\/strong>. The lung disease asbestosis <\/strong>occurs primarily when the airways are damaged by asbestos dust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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Artificial mineral fibers (AMF) in schools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Artificial mineral fibers (AMF)<\/strong> in schools have been used in sound insulation<\/em>, thermal insulation <\/em>and other products. They are processed into felts<\/em>, mats<\/em> or boards<\/em>or into loose mineral wool<\/em>. Since the 1980s, insulation made of AMF has been used extensively to save energy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artificial mineral fibers<\/strong> are very temperature-resistant and have good insulating properties. Like asbestos, they can release fiber dusts. In suspended ceilings for sound insulation or in acoustic ceilings, for example, they can release fiber dusts if the mineral wool in perforated ceilings is only loosely attached. AMF products<\/strong> installed up to around 1998<\/strong> can spread their harmful fibers into the indoor air. There are generally no longer any health risks with the tested biosoluble mineral wool insulation materials<\/strong> that were offered after 1998. The older AMF products can lead to irritation symptoms<\/em> in the affected children and employees, such as burning eyes <\/em>and breathing difficulties<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in schools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Organic components such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) <\/strong>were a key substance in various building materials used in school buildings in the 1960s and 1970s. They were used as plasticizers in paints, sealants, plastics and insulating materials. In addition, they were often contained in paints for acoustic ceilings or expansion joints, so that PCBs could easily enter the indoor air. Small capacitors for fluorescent tubes were also often found to contain PCBs. PCBs are also found in many other products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PCB products<\/strong> have been <\/strong> banned<\/strong> in Germany<\/strong>since 1989<\/strong>. They are hardly biodegradable<\/em> and can accumulate in the food chain. They are considered toxic<\/strong> and carcinogenic<\/strong>. PCBs in high concentrations can cause severe fatigue and listlessness, headaches and lack of concentration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n


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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in schools <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In older school buildings and many private homes, tar-containing adhesives or mixtures of tar and bitumen were used to lay parquet<\/strong> or linoleum<\/strong>. They contained polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)<\/strong>. When they are released, they can settle in house dust<\/strong>, for example, and pollute it with pollutants<\/strong>. In many cases, PAHs pollution<\/strong> can be detected for years to come, as they are highly volatile. Naphtalene<\/strong> is the most volatile substance in the PAHs group and can still be measured in indoor air, whereas higher PAHs are more solid and collect in dusts. These can be stirred up by children and other people by running etc. and then enter the respiratory tract. Some PAHs are carcinogenic<\/strong>, including the lead substance benzo(a)pyrene<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n


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Formaldehyde in schools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Formaldehyde is a very harmful air pollutant that can off-gas from many materials. It is mainly found in wood-based materials<\/strong> such as chipboard<\/strong> and veneer panels<\/strong>. These products can release formaldehyde into the air. Dangerously high concentrations of formaldehyde can thus escape from furniture<\/em>, floor coverings<\/em> or doors<\/em>. Formaldehyde was also used in various adhesives, but these are now banned. Particularly high concentrations of formaldehyde<\/strong> are found in indoor air from as little as 0.03 mg\/m3<\/sup>. In many cases, the high concentrations are also noticeable by smell. They can be perceived as a pungent odor. Formaldehyde can cause irritation of the mucous membranes in both children and adults. Long-term exposure to high levels of formaldehyde can also lead to the development of cancer through chronic inflammation of the nasal mucosa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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(Fine) dusts in the classroom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dusts at school<\/strong> are also a stressful situation for children<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dusts<\/strong> are solid particles. Depending on their size and density, they can float<\/strong> in the air<\/strong> for long periods of time or settle<\/strong> on the ground and surfaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They can be classified as ultrafine dust<\/strong> with less than 100 nm, total suspended particulates (TSP) up to 30 \u03bcm, so-called fine dust<\/strong> with particles up to 2.5 \u03bcm and higher as coarser fine dust<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As early as 2008, the Federal Environment<\/strong> Agency (UBA) pointed out in its “Guidelines on indoor hygiene in school buildings” that the concentration of particulate matter in<\/em> school rooms<\/em> that are used regularly can be significantly higher indoors than in the outside air<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to the heavy use of school groups<\/strong>, the prevailing room conditions, etc., there is usually a lot of dust from indoor rooms in <\/strong>addition to the fine dust from the outside air<\/strong>. These can come from clothing <\/em>or, for example, skin and hair particles<\/em> or, for example, from work lessons<\/em> or laboratory experiments<\/em>. The printers <\/em>and copiers <\/em>used are usually particularly harmful to health<\/em> as they release ultra-fine dust particles that are very damaging to health. They penetrate even deeper into the respiratory tract, down to the bronchi and alveoli, than the coarser dusts. These fine dust particle emissions can lead to respiratory diseases<\/em> and circulatory problems<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frequent air changes indoors are therefore important to minimize dust exposure in indoor air, especially in children with weak immune systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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Mold contamination in schools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Renovation backlogs, defective windows, leaking drains and roofs, severe weather conditions<\/em> and other causes with too much moisture<\/strong> allow molds <\/strong>to spread. This growth is further intensified by increased humidity<\/strong> and poor ventilation<\/strong>. In the case of prolonged moisture, molds<\/em> grow with other microorganisms such as bacteria<\/em>, yeasts<\/em> or protozoa<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mold can make people with poorly developed immune systems or people who are already weakened ill. Exposure to mold<\/strong> can trigger asthma<\/em>, respiratory problems<\/em>, sinusitis<\/em> and mucous membrane damage<\/em>. In addition, irritated eyes<\/em>, aching limbs<\/em> and severe fatigue <\/em>can also severely affect health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The extent to which indoor mold contamination is too high and therefore harmful to health can be determined by taking mold samples <\/strong>using special measuring devices such as the GSA measuring devices <\/strong>SG5100ex<\/a> or SG5200<\/a> for precise analyses.
In order to protect health, mold growth and its sources should be comprehensively eliminated.


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GSA measuring devices for measuring pollutants in schools and other educational institutions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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For suspected cases of pollutants, the GSA Messger\u00e4tebau GmbH<\/strong> offers accurate measurements as well as the appropriate GSA measuring devices<\/strong> for a wide range of harmful substances<\/strong>. The following GSA measuring devices<\/strong> are particularly suitable for pollutants in schools<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n