The IDEAL cluster has recently published its second joint policy brief to improve indoor air quality in Europe, this time focused on its effects on children’s health.

The evidence from across the IDEAL Cluster projects highlights a persistent challenge: indoor air quality in schools and homes remains a critical yet under-addressed factor affecting children’s health, well-being, and learning potential. Pollutant levels, especially CO2, PM 2.5, and microorganisms, often exceed recommended thresholds, reflecting the combined effects of insufficient ventilation, high occupancy, and limited filtration.

Based on the findings of the projects across multiple contexts and environments where children live and breathe, the IDEAL cluster was able to suggest a set of recommendations for technical solutions, awareness actions, and public policies.

The coordination of this publication fell to the Cluster’s Working Group 1 (WG1), which is focused on science translation into policy. This working group is led by K-HEALTHinAIR and SynAir-G and counts on the contributions of all the other Cluster projects, among which is the LEARN project.

Technical and awareness solutions to address indoor air quality and children’s health

Despite the lack of a coherent, binding EU framework, the results from these projects also demonstrate that clean indoor air for children is within reach. Evidence across projects shows that effective IAQ improvement depends on combining monitoring technologies, educational tools, stakeholder engagement, and practical actions such as proper ventilation and filtration.

Demonstrated technical solutions include:

• Effective ventilation practices, which can help reduce concentrations of bacterial contaminants and CO2, although they may also increase fungal contamination during summer.
• High air-exchange filtration systems, which are more effective at reducing microbiological contamination and removing both particles and gases.
• Tailored strategies depending on outdoor conditions, local climate, heating/cooling demand, and filter type. In areas with poor outdoor air quality, air filtration is preferable, while in areas with good outdoor air quality, natural ventilation may suffice.
• Clear and effective cleaning protocols to minimise microbial contamination.
• Nature-based solutions like green walls, which can filter and purify indoor air, reduce irritative symptoms, and provide additional humidification benefits.

Other solutions may come from awareness actions, including:

• Real-time monitoring tools, such as air quality sensors, emission evaluators, or digital twin models, to enable informed decision-making for tailored strategies.
• Educational tools for children to understand and improve indoor air quality, such as InChildHealth’s Indoor Air Quality Kit, EDIAQI’s workbooks and teacher’s guide, or the LEARN project’s indoor air quality board game, among others.
• Capacity-building through accessible knowledge dissemination tools that can translate scientific evidence into practical guidance for schools, parents and other stakeholders.

Recommendations to improve awareness and IAQ

Current policy frameworks are fragmented and fail to establish enforceable standards and implement effective solutions, such as improved ventilation and filtration systems or smart monitoring technologies. Recommendations for EU policymakers to tackle these problems are:

1. Proposing a coherent and dedicated indoor air quality framework and action plan, especially for the most vulnerable populations, such as children.
2. Integrating indoor air quality targets and considerations in sectoral policies that affect children, including renovation and construction of buildings, housing, research, the evolution of AI, as well as the revisions of the chemicals and detergents regulations.
3. Initiating efforts for the adoption of a minimum EU health-based indoor air quality standard for all new school buildings, as well as the integration of appropriate technological solutions, such as filtration.
4. Supporting EU-wide and national awareness campaigns targeting policymakers, teachers, administrators, families and the public on the impact of poor indoor air quality on children’s health, and how schools can mitigate its effects.
5. Facilitating the adoption of emerging technological solutions to ensure better monitoring, effective management and improved overall indoor air quality, with a focus on school environments.
6. Fostering the exchange of best practices among Member States in the scope of indoor air quality and school educational settings.

The LEARN project is a Horizon Europe project meant to monitor and evaluate indoor air quality at schools around Europe and its impact on children’s health. Our main goal is to develop and deploy novel sensors that can detect possibly harmful air pollutants, as well as advanced biosensors and optimised air remediation strategies. Find out more about our EU-funded project!