Have you ever asked your kids what they learned in school that day? Somehow, their initial answer tends to be, “Nothing.” Often, a little prying reveals that they did, in fact, learn something new.  Perhaps they learned how to solve a difficult arithmetic problem, expanded their vocabulary or found out more about their country’s history. The truth is, children are curious and often eager to learn. Why let poor classroom air quality put a damper on their day?

Poor air quality in classrooms negatively affects academic performance and health – putting both student and teacher at risk. For many school districts, student absences lead to decreased government funding, while teacher absences lead to higher expenses. That’s pretty ironic if you ask us. We conducted a study of a typical classroom in Germany and found that the level of harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the classroom air exceeded healthy threshold limits within minutes after students arrived at 8:00 a.m. and exceeded those limits for the majority of the school day. Occupied classrooms are especially prone to high concentrations of bio-effluents (VOCs from human respiration, transpiration and metabolism). If left unchecked, VOCs can result in a variety of physical symptoms – eye irritation, headache, drowsiness or dizziness. Even though an increase in ventilation of just one-cubic-foot per minute can decrease absentee rates by up to two percent, very few classrooms have indoor air quality (IAQ) monitors. By signaling HVAC systems only when needed, the energy-efficient IAQ sensor helps maintain clean, healthy air so students can learn and teachers can teach.