On 18 September - National Air Quality Day - Jean-Michel Genestier, Mayor of Le Raincy (Ile-de-France) and Vice-President of Grand Paris Grand Est, and Antoine Frérot, Chairman and CEO of Veolia, announced a joint initiative that will make Le Raincy the first town in France to guarantee 100% good air in school. For this operation Veolia brings its solutions to help the town more effectively protect the health and quality of life of its children.
Indoor air quality, an issue for the health of schoolchildren's
As their respiratory system has not reached maturity, they are more vulnerable and more sensitive to pollution. Poor air quality also impacts their learning and memory. Hence the importance of prioritizing indoor air quality in schools since children spend 90% of their time indoors. A reality that 60% of parents are concerned about according to an Elabe survey for Veolia. Parents are all the more worried because of the lack of information: 81% of parents in France feel they are poorly informed about the air quality inside the school their child attends, according to the same study.
Veolia neutralizes sources of indoor air pollution
To improve the quality of indoor air, three sources of pollution need to be tackled: outdoor air entering the building, building materials and furniture that emit pollutants, and the activity of the occupants.
Veolia consequently adapted and transferred its technologies for hospital operating rooms and clean rooms to schools in order to neutralize all sources of air pollution and treat the air flow circulating inside schools.
A legitimate concern
With more than 7 million premature deaths worldwide (WHO figures), air pollution is the fourth leading risk factor in mortality worldwide. Indoor air is often more polluted than outdoor air, and we spend 80% of our lives in buildings
According to the Observatoire de la Qualité de l’Air Intérieur (in French) in schools in France:
93% of classrooms have fine particulate concentrations above the WHO threshold for long-term exposure; 41% of schools have at least one classroom that is too small; 15 to 20% of the classrooms have benzene and formaldehyde concentrations above the threshold.
For more information on Veolia’s solutions: Indoor air quality dossier
"Dans Mon Ecole, c’est le Bon'Air!" for elementary schools La Fontaine and Les Fougères in Le Raincy
The town of Le Raincy, aware of the problem and anxious to offer its citizens indoor air quality solutions, chose two elementary schools to test the effectiveness of answers proposed by Veolia during the school year.
Veolia will continuously assess the quality of the air in the classrooms in real time. After an audit, sensors, qualified by Airparif and AIRLAB, will be installed to monitor the indoor air quality continuously, taking measurements in real time: temperature, humidity, CO2, volatile organic compounds, and fine particulates. Depending on the results of the audit, solutions will be deployed to renew and treat the air inside the classrooms. Veolia’s goal: guarantee a clean air in all classrooms.
The Group will also support teachers and children, through educational tools, so that they are involved in ensuring the quality of the indoor air they breathe.
Veolia is offering Le Raincy an "Indoor Air Quality" dashboard that will measure the pollution levels of each classroom in the schools. Data will be made available to teachers and parents.
Discover managing indoor air quality in video
