Louise Sallé / Photo credit: Jean-Christophe VERHAEGEN / AFP 2:45 p.m., January 30, 2024
30,000 cases of asthma are preventable each year in primary schools in France, according to a study by Public Health France. The mold present on certain walls and ceilings in classrooms degrades the air quality.
The air children breathe in some classrooms is not as good as it should be. This is what a study by Public Health France reveals, published this Tuesday. Up to 30,000 cases of asthma could thus be avoided each year. The cause is the presence of mold in the roofs and walls of certain establishments, linked to infiltration into humid areas.
Ventilate and ventilate much more frequently
In classrooms, we can also find formaldehyde, a chemical substance present in certain floor coverings and paints. “We have the possibility of choosing coverings which will emit less formaldehyde. And then, when we decide to change the furniture in a classroom, the ideal is to be able to store this furniture for a short week, or even two , because we know that it is at the start of the life of new furniture that we will have the most substances", indicates Marion Hulin, epidemiologist at Public Health France.
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Another piece of advice to apply: ventilate and ventilate classes much more frequently than today, particularly because other pollutants, even if they have not yet been studied, are present in schools and pose health risks for the children.