Around 80 million Europeans live in unhealthy homes, namely 1 in 6 inhabitants. In the case of children, the situation is even more concerning: 1 in 3 European infants live in homes with inadequate ventilation. In total, this amounts to 26 million children, more than the entire population of Scandinavia. As a result, they are more likely to develop health problems such as asthma, allergies or dermatitis, leading in turn to increased school absenteeism. It is estimated that diseases resulting from poor environmental quality are responsible for the loss of 1.7 million school days.¹  

Indoor air quality in schools

Children and young people spend between 170 and 190 days a year at school, and breathing quality indoor air is essential for their health and development. Just as in homes, a range of pollutants can be found inside classrooms, either due to the activities carried out in them or from the products and materials used in the buildings themselves.

According to the study by Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics in Germany, optimising ventilation and reducing CO₂ levels improves pupils' abilities by more than 15%, increasing their attention and concentration and bringing a reduction in absenteeism.²

Having quality indoor air in places where children spend more time not only benefits their health and education, but also, according to the Healthy Homes Barometer published by Velux Group in 2019³, would bring an increase in European GDP amounting to 300 billion euros over the next 40 years.