Danish researchers are involving primary school pupils and high school students in a new scientific study aimed at mapping the state of the indoor climate in Danish classrooms.
Poor air quality in Danish primary school pupils and high school students has a major impact on their performance, according to new research. A large new scientific study aims to map the state of the air quality in Danish primary and high schools.
Pupils and students from 1,000 primary school and high school classes throughout Denmark will measure and collect data on CO2 levels and the number of fungal spores in the classroom twice within a week. The results of the mass experiment will then be collected and analysed by researchers from DTU.
Geo Clausen, Professor at DTU Civil Engineering, says:
“We have documentation showing that indoor climate has a major impact on well-being and learning. The latest research shows that a poor indoor climate affect pupil performance in the national tests. We therefore anticipate the results of the new measurements with great interest.”
Alarming level
The mass experiment has been developed jointly by DTU and the Danish Science Festival. Pupils contributed to the same experiment five years ago, in 2009. Their measurements at that time showed that the concentration of CO2 was above the acceptable level in over half the schools (56 per cent). The new data will be compared to the 2009 data to determine whether the indoor climate has worsened or improved.
More knowledge needed
Pupils will be given test equipment that can measure the CO2 level in the classrooms. The pupils must also collect data on mould spores in the indoor and outdoor air using Petri dishes containing nutrients. Using samples from 1,000 classes, researchers will gain more knowledge about how many and which types of fungi are normally prevalent in classrooms, and if there are more or less than in 2009.
“Pupils, parents and teachers should not be concerned when fungi begin growing in the dishes. However, the various fungi species can indicate whether better airing or cleaning is required, and if the ventilation system is working as it should, ” says Associate Professor Birgitte Andersen from DTU Systems Biology.
Director Mikkel Bohm of the Danish Science Factory, which initiated the mass experiment, says:
“We know that this type of experiment arouses the interest of pupils, because they learn about science in a way that affects their daily lives. At the same time, pupils help create new knowledge and research findings, which are invaluable to the researchers involved.”