Bacteria in classroom dust linked to impaired lung function in children

Certain bacteria in classroom dust are linked to mildly impaired lung function in children. This was the result of an analysis by researchers at the Italian University of Ferrara, which was first presented at the congress of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) in Barcelona; This so-called symphony study has not yet been published in a specialist journal.

The team led by biostatistician Soutrik Banerjee examined data from 22 European countries and around 300 classrooms. Individual evaluations for the countries were not created. The contamination with bacteria from the Streptomyces and Mycobacterium groups was recorded for the rooms.

“The bacteria can either have a direct biological effect or they can be indicators of other indoor air factors that influence lung function,” says Banerjee.

Alexander Möller, professor of pediatric pulmonology at the University Children's Hospital Zurich and member of the European Respiratory Society, warned against wanting to turn schools into sterile environments. “Rather, schools should focus on good indoor air quality: adequate ventilation, combating moisture and mold, regular cleaning and proper building maintenance.”

The study suggests that such investments are money well spent, said Möller, who was not involved in the study himself.

There was a lot of ventilation in Corona times

There was a lot of discussion about the air in classrooms in Germany during the Corona pandemic. The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) recommended ventilating well at short intervals, even in winter, to reduce the risk of infection.

Permanently installed ventilation systems were also recommended. They not only reduced the amount of pathogens in the indoor air, but also the concentration of carbon dioxide and emitted pollutants. In many places, however, only mobile air purifiers were used, if at all.

Since 2020, more permanently installed ventilation systems have been retrofitted in schools than in previous years, also because of special funding programs. However, inventories show that the majority of school buildings in Germany still do not have ventilation systems.