New Delhi: Schools in North India have been halted many times over the last couple of weeks due to an AQI which is hovering at severe or hazardous levels; without sounding too alarmist, we would like to remind our readers that breathing air in the Capital region now is akin to smoking 49 cigarettes a day! So, is the air really that bad that it can harm children, their lungs and other organs and leave them breathless and with a vision problem? Again, doctors would reply in an affirmative. The pollution in air, means particulate matter 2.5 and 10 are lingering and these can enter through the airways and settle on the surface of the lungs (at least PM2,5 can do so easily). It is without any doubt that this level of toxicity can do irreversible damage to organs of children. Hence school closures have been made a mandate by state governments, a diktat that has full support of the courts as well.
But families pose this question – are homes really healthier than schools. “If we remove commute time and the vehicular traffic situation that a child may be exposed to on the way to school, is there much of a difference at home and an institution? Schools can opt out of physical activities that need an outdoorsy set up. Will it then be possible that a school is healthier than a child’s own home?,” asks a hapless parent, whose child attends class 8 in New Delhi. Her only worry is that syllabus and studies should not continue to suffer due to air quality in a state. “There is no feasible end to the bad air issue. GRAPs in place are making a difference but not a very big one. If this continues to be the case, should school children continue to suffer,” the parent queries.
Schools in most states (especially in regions where AQI remains a constant problem) have mandated institutions to also facilitate classrooms with air purifiers, and spread awareness about how students can keep safe during bad air days.
On the other hand, home is safe haven because a parent can monitor healthy air at home and also maintain healthy practises for the child ensuring air quality doesn’t cause much health outcomes.
Home or school – what is a healthy bet?
Controlled air at home is one part of the problem solved but what school administration banks on is that minor allergies or severe breathing issues can get immediate redressal at home under the watch of a guardian. No school is equipped with medical aid to address issues that may result out of air pollution. At least not yet. “We have a first aid in school and our response/ alert system is well monitored. However, allergy problems or severe breathing issues which may require oxygen support or external inhalers are medical emergencies that require attention of a doctor. Schools are not adapt at dealing with ailments resulting from air in this severe AQI category,” says a teacher from a popular elite school located in Noida expressway.
She says, it is for this reason that most institutions are advised to go on a hybrid mode to ensure studies don’t suffer and neither does health.
Which brings us to the other side of the argument – how can homes be better equipped medically to ensure that children don’t suffer from poisonous air. Air purifiers are becoming a must in homes these days but there are important instructions to follow if you leave the purifier on for the entire duration. The type of the machine used at homes also makes a big difference – If you us the ozone-generating cleaners, beware that they can create ozone, which in turn can damage tissues and cause problems such as coughing, chest pain, throat irritation, and shortness of breath.
Purifiers, especially those with HEPA filters, are also notorious for lower humidity levels, which can lead to dry skin and eyes, irritated sinuses, and breathing discomfort in children.
The more serious discourse on use of air filters is that it can cause heart variability in children. Although the chances of this happening is small, the risk still presents itself. Should the school then take the responsibility of operating in these AQI levels and exposing children to a multitude of problems? According to most admins, it is both safer and healthier at home environs.
Matter of responsibility and not choice
Doctors say at home it is better to monitor a child’s respiratory health. “If your child has had a history of rhinitis or even acute asthma, it is better that their condition is properly maintained at home. This is so because we have witnessed how bad air can lead to flaring of these medical conditions without much external stimuli. If a child is nebulised on time, it is better for their overall health,” says Dr Dhriti Ray, an ENT specialist who is also attached to schools in Mumbai-Thane region.
“We have seen incidents where children have required external machines to get their breathing back in order. Some schools may have that provision or can reach the student to a facility nearby, but it is best to keep such wards at home. Studies and syllabus can be completed with the help of online classes,” argues Ray, also adding that COVID-19 has taught us well that hybrid learning is not only possible but also the only practical solution available.
The other reason why schools and institutions are justified about operating in a hybrid mode, or even for remaining totally shut, is so that infections don’t travel fast and become more virulent. “Children are easy carriers of any infection. Smog season brings with it not just seasonal allergies but also other asymptomatic flu conditions that can be transmitted fast. In such a scenario, if the option is available for a school to operate from elsewhere, they should go for it,” Dr Ray puts a rest to the debate on the question we had asked at the onset.
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