Let’s celebrate together: the JARED project has just reached Deliverable D5.1, a significant step in its mission to combat chronic respiratory diseases across Europe!
We are strengthening respiratory health — one step at a time.
JARED’s Coordination Team is pleased to announce the successful completion of Deliverable D5.1, a report on indoor environmental factors associated with children’s respiratory symptoms and diagnosed asthma, which marks a key achievement within Work Package 5 of the Joint Action.
The analysis takes a deep, evidence-based look at how indoor environmental factors influence children’s respiratory symptoms and the development or worsening of asthma, with a particular focus on schools, kindergartens, and other public indoor settings where children spend a large part of their daily lives.
One of the main highlights is that children are especially vulnerable to air pollution. Their lungs and immune systems are still developing, they breathe more air relative to their body size than adults, and they are more frequently exposed to respiratory infections. Exposure to harmful air pollutants can begin as early as pregnancy, continue through early childhood, and persist during the school years — with lasting consequences for respiratory health.
The review brings together scientific evidence published between 2010 and 2025, covering a wide range of indoor and outdoor pollutants that affect indoor air quality (IAQ). These include particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), ozone (O₃), volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds (VOCs and SVOCs), formaldehyde, moulds, aeroallergens, and environmental tobacco smoke. The report shows that these pollutants, especially when present together, can contribute to asthma development, trigger symptoms, reduce lung function, and increase school absenteeism.
A key message is that schools matter. Poor ventilation, high occupancy, emissions from building materials and furnishings, cleaning products, dampness, and infiltration of outdoor pollution often result in indoor pollutant levels that meet — or exceed — health-based guideline values. Evidence from multiple European and international studies demonstrates clear links between classroom air quality and asthma symptoms, wheezing, airway inflammation, and reduced lung function in children, including those with pre-existing asthma.
The report also reviews what works to improve indoor air quality. Strategies such as increasing ventilation rates, controlling pollution sources, reducing indoor allergens, using low-emission materials, managing moisture and mould, and applying targeted air filtration can reduce children’s exposure and lead to short-term improvements in respiratory health and school attendance. However, the authors note that long-term health benefits are harder to demonstrate due to the complexity of asthma, differences between buildings, and the limited duration of many intervention studies.
Overall, D5.1 underlines the need for coordinated, long-term, and multi-component approaches that combine better building design and operation, evidence-based interventions, and supportive policies. Strengthening indoor air quality in educational settings is presented not only as a health protection measure, but also as an investment in children’s wellbeing, learning, and long-term respiratory health across Europe.
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