9 minute read
COVID 19 AND SCHOOL AIR PURIFICATION
Air Quality
We all know by now that breathing polluted air is bad for you. Really bad. Those of us living and working in Hong Kong face air quality issues on a regular basis and, ideally, we should do more to combat our exposure. Ranging from minor upper respiratory irritation to chronic respiratory disease and heart disease, air pollution may also lead to cancer, chronic bronchitis and asthma attacks and it affects a number of different systems and organs in the body.
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Children are at a particularly high risk to air pollution exposure because they tend to breathe more quickly than adults and their lungs are more permeable to pollutants. The tiny air pollution particles can also cross the blood-brain barrier, which is less resistant in children. There are clearly health implications of long-term exposure to air pollution. Now, in the face of an ongoing pandemic, what is the role of air quality?
Role of Air Quality With COVID-19
Research has shown a possible link between poor air quality and an increase in COVID-19 severity due to its effect on cardiopulmonary and other diseases. Experimental studies show air pollution causes a weakened immune response which may allow a virus to easily infect a person. Air pollutants reduce UV radiation which in turn reduces our ability to synthesize Vitamin D, a vital component to the immune system. Low Vitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk for respiratory diseases as well as viral and bacterial respiratory infections.
Additionally, polluted air may also be able to carry more viruses due to a complicated set of interactions with particles and gases along with weather conditions (temperature, humidity, UV radiation). More studies are needed to understand the impact of air pollution on COVID-19. In the meantime, there are studies taking place in schools in the USA and the UK examining air purification in classrooms in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Air Quality and COVID-19 in Classrooms – the studies
In the UK, there is a pilot study comparing air purifiers and ultraviolet lights to a control (no devices) in 30 primary schools in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The research is aimed at reducing the spread of Covid-19 in classrooms. If successful, the programme could be rolled out nationwide. The pilot starts this month with results available before the end of the year. It is believed that the air purifiers and UV lights may also reduce absence due to cold and flu infections and improve air quality for those with asthma and hay fever.
Research in the USA found that many classrooms are poorly ventilated, and that better ventilation can reduce student absences due to illness, both during a pandemic and more normal times. “After surveying the installation of air filtration systems over the past year, we found that they can significantly improve air quality in classrooms by lowering aerosol levels, which in turn lowers COVID-19 transmission risk.”
How Is Hong Kong Government Helping
The Hong Kong government through the Environmental Protection Department, releases hourly Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) information. This helps all of us to ensure we are taking precautionary measures to protect our health. Precautions are best based on the level of ambient pollution. When the AQHI is high, it’s better to be indoors with an air filtration system or air purifier running. This will decrease your exposure.
Unfortunately, most sources of outdoor air pollution are well beyond the control of individuals. In Hong Kong the majority of air pollution comes from roadside pollution from motor vehicles, marine vessel emissions and power plants, both in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta.
How To Protect Children
Exposure to pollution decreases cognitive performance and impairs neurological function in children due to childhood being a critical period for brain formation. It is imperative to take steps to limit children’s exposure to pollution because during important times of physiological development, pollutants can result in long-term health problems, dysfunction and disease.
Children spend the majority of their time indoors at school. In these modern times, all of us spend most of our time indoors, so it becomes important to ask, what are schools doing to protect our children and their staff?
The Hong Kong Education Bureau (EDB) publishes health risk guidelines based on the government’s AQHI, but this does not fully account for PM2.5 which is considered by the WHO to be of great importance. Schools following these guidelines may be misguided by the AQHI in terms of actual health risk so should seek to aim higher than the government standard and look at global recommendations.
What Are Hong Kong Schools Doing?
Some Hong Kong schools are safeguarding the health of their students and staff by installing air purifiers throughout the school, monitoring indoor and outdoor air quality locally and creating their own policies to handle poor air quality days.
ESF King George V School (KGV) has met CAP599F for air quality and regularly checks its ventilation systems. “We have a small Hong Kong Observatory Weather Monitoring Station on-site and our own Air Quality Index monitor which warns us of local pollution levels via an App. This gives us more precise intelligence than relying on the general stations Government systems,” explains Susanna Chiu, Communications Manager, ESF Centre. “KGV also has a policy of minimal pesticides and have chosen the most ecologically friendly cleaning products to reduce volatile organic compounds and harmful substances. Conservation of diverse plants and trees across the site also helps improve our local air quality and support bio-diversity in Kowloon,” she continues.
International College Hong Kong set up the first Miyawaki forest in the city, with students helping to plant the trees. Miyawaki's can help boost carbon sequestration, much more than traditional reforestation projects.
Schools With Air Purification
Schools with air purification beyond include: Schools with air purification beyond include: Island Christian Academy; Kellett Kowloon Bay; Kellett Pokfulam; Discovery Bay International; Kennedy School (ESF); Nord Anglia (Lam Tin); Kingston International School; ICHK Hong Lok Yuen; Fairchild Junior Academy; Mudpies Education Centre; Mulberry House; Victoria; YMCA CIKG; Malvern College; St. Catherine’s; Stamford American; Hong Kong Academy; Mills International Preschool; Tutortime Caine Road; FIS new campus in TKO; Galilee International Kindergarten; Rightmind; Mighty Oaks International Kindergarten; Discovery Mind Primary School; Discovery Mind Kindergarten; International Montessori School *If your school has air purifiers or an air quality policy above and beyond that of the EBD, please let us know. We’d love to add them to this list.
Hong Kong Clean Air Network Campaign The Hong Kong Clean Air Network (CAN) is an independent non-governmental organisation exclusively focused on the issue of air pollution in Hong Kong. CAN aims to educate the public about the health impacts of air pollution and to mobilise public support for cleaner air in Hong Kong. They seek to build knowledge and understanding among experts and the public; identify, connect and amplify the resources of stakeholders both in Hong Kong and worldwide; and work constantly to find and advocate the sustainable solutions for the future that our government can put into action today.
CAN actively partners their initiatives with academics, government officials, corporations and local communities. At the end of 2019, CAN conducted a 2-week community nitrogen dioxide (NO2) measurement project, putting NO2 diffusion tubes at 25 locations with 80 tubes in total across dense areas in the city. The tubes, put in place by volunteers, were sent for laboratory analysis. The results show pollution patterns in the areas where the tubes were placed - near schools, parks, bus stops, MTR stations or other places school age children might visit daily. Data from the diffusion tubes have been translated into maps and organized into graphs for comparison. This project is part of CAN’s latest campaign ’Let Our Children Breathe’. The report includes analyses on results from the 80 diffusion tubes and is hoped to bring awareness to the dangers of air pollution.
The tubes were distributed by volunteers, thereby encouraging the public to participate in citizen science projects which in turn helps the public take a more active role. The goal of these campaigns is not only to create more awareness but to encourage people to change their lifestyles to reduce emission of air pollutants and reduce their exposure to polluted air.
Monitoring Your Air Quality
By keeping an eye on the numbers, you may be able to reduce risks and exposure to poor air quality. These apps can provide real-time air quality reports, forecasts, and locationspecific information. Here is all about monitor air quality with apps and personal monitors.
Hong Kong Air Quality Health Index or HK AQHI
Local real-time information providing air quality reports measured by the 13 general and three roadside air monitoring stations operated by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) of Hong Kong. The app provides forecasts of health risks and pollutant concentrations on a scale of 1 to 10 and 10+ grouped into the following health risk categories: low, moderate, high, very high and serious.
Hedley Environmental Index (HEI)
Managed by the School of Public Health at the University of HK, HEI is an independent report on air pollutants that exceed the WHO AQG and the real-time hourly HEI at users’ current location and for each individual air quality station (13 urban rooftop and three roadside air quality stations in Hong Kong, and 11 stations in Shenzhen.). The new version of the HEI has the aim of enhancing health risk communication and to better inform and assist members of the public in the interpretation of air pollution levels.
PRAISE-HK
A Personalised Real-Time Air Quality Informatics System for Exposure – Hong Kong (PRAISE-HK) is a new app by scientists from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). This app helps people access realtime, location-specific air pollution information. It provides personalised sensitivities assessments, recommendations for cleaner routes, personalised alerts, and forecasts to help you plan ahead.
PEEKair Concepts
PEEKair is an indoor air quality monitor, designed specifically for Hong Kong. This small hand-held, wireless monitor can tell you if the air is polluted by displaying (according to US EPA standards) current PM2.5 levels. It comes ready to use out of the box with no setup required. The PEEKair monitor can help check the effectiveness of your air purifiers and be able to position them for maximum effectiveness. You can also check to see when it’s safe to turn off your air purifiers when they’re not necessary.
Air Visual
Trusted and reliable air quality information from the world’s leading air pollution data provider. Covering 10,000+ locations from a global network of government monitoring stations and AirVisual’s own validated sensors. View historical, realtime, and forecast Air Pollution Data with detailed figures on key pollutants and AQI for over 10,000+ locations in 100+ countries, made clearly understandable. Follow air pollution trends with enhanced month-long and 48h historical views for your favourite locations.
