Sensors were placed in the classrooms of the “Hristo G. Danov” school in Plovdiv as part of the social campaign “Do you know what you are breathing?”. The idea of joining was the school management’s to “Hristo G. Danov”, after which the municipality of Plovdiv also supported the initiative. The campaign aims to raise awareness of poor air quality in classrooms because this problem poses many health risks. Among them are asthma, chronic bronchitis, allergies and other diseases of the respiratory system.
Principals, teachers and eco experts attended a meeting in the municipality of Plovdiv. Hristo Atanasov, initiator of the campaign, showed how the sensors work and the readings they measure. “Air quality has a bearing on students’ health and their concentration in class. “The long time spent in an unhealthy environment has negative consequences and lowers their cognitive abilities by 10%,” he shared.
Within the framework of the campaign, sensors were placed in five classrooms of the “Hristo G. Danov” school – the first educational institution from Plovdiv that became part of the social initiative.
The devices measure carbon dioxide levels, humidity and temperature. Readings can be monitored in real time to react to the moment. Both teachers and students have access to the information. When the permissible norms are increased, the devices emit a sound signal about the need for ventilation.
“The initiative is good because it gives us information about the ordinary things that we can do. Taking care not to catch a cold, we forgot how important it is to spend time outdoors and that the rooms are well ventilated,” commented Gergana Avramova, director of the “Hristo G. Danov” school.
The results show that the values are three times above the permissible norm. “Actually, it turns out that children are constantly standing in an environment that needs ventilation,” added Hristo Atanasov. In many of the locations where meetings have already been held, businesses and community organizations have already stepped in with donations to purchase devices for the schools. There are upcoming meetings with representatives of other cities, including Stara Zagora, Varna, Burgas, Sevlievo, Gorna Oryahovitsa and others.
Find out how to join the social campaign “What do you breathe?”