Author: SynAir-G

Image: CNR Team presented SynAir-G Project at Futuro Remoto science and technology fair (Naples (Italy), 21 – 26 November 2023) 

The National Research Council of Italy (CNR) presented their research activities at the 37^th edition of Futuro Remoto 2023, a European fair for the dissemination of scientific and technological culture, organized in Naples (Italy) from 21st to 26th November 2023, in collaboration with Città della Scienza Foundation.

Futuro Remoto is a scientific fair, organised every year by the Città della Scienza Foundation in Naples and other cities in the Campania region, which aims to promote the relationship between science, knowledge and society.

This edition was focused on exploring the different forms of Intelligence, including Smart Sensing, the focus of CNR research activities. Smart sensing can be defined as an IoT (Internet of Things) technology that takes input from the physical environment and uses built-in computing resources to perform predefined functions upon detection of specific input and subsequently process data before passing it on. CNR actively use it for monitoring food quality, environmental factors and safety, including in its tasks within SynAir-G.

While promoting its activities in the field of smart sensing in food science, CNR also promotes and disseminates the objectives and the impact of SynAir-G on science and society. Their participation in Futuro Remoto is in alignment with the effort of each partner to promote the project on every appropriate occasion and reach the vastest number of people.

CNR successfully presented the activities of SynAir-G during Futuro Remoto scientific fair, where they also demonstrated to the public the use of smart sensors. This activity is the first step to spreading the voice about the project within the Italian community and increasing awareness about its activities and the future impact on indoor air quality in schools and children’s health.

Image 1. Children testing the game “Save the World” during “Next Generation Conference: Literacy of the Future” (Aahrus (DK),  7-8 November 2023)

As part of SynAir-G activities, LTU has organized and conducted two events to engage children in testing and providing feedback for further improvements to the “Save The World” game, an application being designed and developed by INLECOM. The gamified application “Save The World” is being developed to promote participation in the health outcome assessment questionnaire. The app serves as an educational tool, involving students in environmental health and sustainability. Save The World employs gamification to encourage students to learn about the impact of pollutants in Europe, offering a captivating approach to education. The main objective is to involve students from six European countries in completing health questionnaires.

The application presents real-life environmental challenges through interactive gaming experiences, where players navigate through European cities facing a pollution crisis. Mini-games within the app require critical thinking and problem-solving skills to combat the adverse effects of pollutants. Save The World is designed for a diverse audience, available in six languages, and accessible on mobile devices and computers with parental consent.

The first workshop took place at the Luleå Science Centre, Teknikens Hus, as part of the Researchers’ Day (forskarfredag). This annual event, organized nationwide in Sweden, provides an opportunity for citizens, particularly youngsters, to explore the latest research developments through various workshops. During this event, LTU showcased the SynAir-G game to 28 ten-year-old children. They actively participated in a 3-hour game test (two sessions before and after lunch), offering valuable feedback for improvements. The children completed a questionnaire, expressing their likes and dislikes, issues they identified, and suggesting areas for enhancement. The event was deemed a great success.

The second game showcase occurred in Aarhus, Denmark, as part of the “Next Generation Conference: Literacy of the Future.” Employing the same strategy, 24 ten-year-old children engaged in the activity. Results indicated increased confidence, with fewer reported errors compared to the first event, demonstrating clear success in addressing issues identified earlier.

Overall, a high level of engagement and commitment was observed throughout both events.

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Below you can download the IDEAL Cluster press release in PDF format:

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Episode 1: Indoor air quality in schools: impact on children wellbeing and role of research in Europe 

 Image 1: Speakers and moderators during SynAir-G workshop (Montpellier, 09 October 2023)

The SynAir-G workshop series are part of the WP7 – Data management, Guidelines, Dissemination and Exploitation, aiming at exchanging know-how and practices between partners and stakeholders to present the project and validate its impact indicators while gathering feedback and state-of-the-art advancements in the field of indoor air quality and its impact on health. 

Over the course of the project, 3 workshops will be organised, to facilitate discussion, and engage the public, while presenting the results as the project progresses.  

The first workshop ‘Indoor air quality in schools: impact on children wellbeing and role of research in Europe’ took place on the 9th of October in Montpellier (France). The hybrid event brought together patient representatives, health care professionals, researchers across Europe to discuss the importance of indoor air quality in schools, its impact on the wellbeing of children and the role of research and development of new technologies and know-how. 

Specifically, the workshop facilitated a discussion on the status and challenges of Indoor Air Quality in schools in 3 European countries (France, Greece and Poland), including socio- economic and technical barriers and highlighting the importance of indoor air quality in schools and its effects on all the people who attend schools, including teachers and other staff members.  

Emphasis was also placed on the role of preventative care in NCDs (Non-Communicable Diseases), including asthma and allergies, and the synergist dialogue and coordination between different experts to ensure good quality of life for the people living these conditions, including people spending time in schools. 

The workshop hosted a panel discussion on how to innovate devices and services in the school sector through participatory approaches. The speakers were representatives of the SynAir-G, K-HEALTHinAIR and InChildHealth projects, members of IDEAL Cluster, an EU Commission initiative aiming at filling knowledge gaps in the understanding of the impacts on our health and well-being of those environmental, occupational and socio. During this session, the three projects discussed their objectives, promising impact on society, and the importance of advocacy. 

The first workshop ‘Indoor air quality in schools: impact on children wellbeing and role of research in Europe’ was organised by the  European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations (EFA), and the hybrid sessions were moderated by Prof. Nikolaos G. Papadopoulos, SynAir-G Coordinator, and Valeria Ramiconi, EFA Programme Manager. 

The SynAir-G Workshop series will continue with two other episodes in the upcoming years to discusse the SynAir-G project impact on science and on European policy, and disseminating its results. 

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Image 1: SynAir-G Consortium group picture (Montpellier, October 10 2023)

On 9 and 10 October 2023, the SynAir-G project’s consortium gathered in Montpellier (France) for the first annual General Assembly, hosted by Centre Hôpitalier Universitaire de Montpellier (CHUM).

SynAir-G aims to:

• improve our understanding of the main sources and interactions of chemical and biological indoor air pollutants in schools
• develop user- and environmentally-friendly solutions and interventions with a particular focus on vulnerable populations
• disseminate the generated knowledge and interventions to key stakeholders

The two-day meeting offered the SynAir-G partners the space for discussions on the status of the project, updates on the different work packages, and alignments on the upcoming timelines, tasks and deliverables.

The meeting was chaired by Prof. Nikolaos G. Papadopoulos, SynAir-G Coordinator, and the different work packages and tasks leaders provided comprehensive updates on the progress made over the past twelve months and outlined their action plans for the upcoming period.

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GA²LEN, one of the SynAir-G partners, announced the publication of SynAir-G Stakeholders database, an important milestone for the activities for the activities of communication and dissemination of the project.

This is another tool that will help SynAir-G to shed light on the intricate interactions between various pollutants that impact our health. From unraveling mechanisms to real-life scenarios, our focus is directed towards the school environment.

SynAir-G is promoted to different stakeholders to join the database, and integrate into a diverse network comprising experts, researchers, industry leaders and many more sectors, all united in their dedication to fostering healthier and more sustainable indoor spaces. The presence within this database isn’t just about sharing your expertise; it’s a catalyst for collaboration and innovation in the realm of indoor air quality.

SynAir-G envisions this database as a central hub for collective learning, a gateway to exchange best practices, and for advancing our goals.

Participating in this endeavor is as simple as dedicating a few minutes of your time to provide your name and details for inclusion. However, the impact will extend far beyond those moments. Your contribution will resonate in shaping the EU’s approach towards indoor air quality for years to come. This is your opportunity to effect positive, enduring change in the lives of countless individuals.

Embrace this chance to transform the status quo by submitting your information through the link provided: https://forms.office.com/e/fZgFCxMb97

SynAir-G assures potential stakeholders that all shared data will be handled with the utmost confidentiality and solely utilized for the project’s objectives. They retain the freedom to opt out at any time.

Please feel free to share this database link with your contacts and other stakeholders.

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SynAir-G for the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies

The International Day of Clean Air for blue skies is an initiative organised by the United Nations Environment Programme since 2019, aiming at increasing awareness of the hazards caused by air pollution, and the effects on environmental health on humans, strengthening the common efforts to improve air quality. This year’s theme, #TogetherForCleanAir, calls attention to the urgent need for stronger partnerships, increased investment, and shared responsibility to address air pollution.

TogetherForCleanAir

In full alignment with this year’s theme, SynAir-G, together with the other 6 projects part of the IDEAL Cluster, is fostering multidisciplinary partnerships and international research, with the common intent to learn more about indoor air pollution and develop innovative solutions to improve air quality in schools and other indoor spaces, to improve the health and wellbeing of children and, eventually, improve the quality of outdoor air, reducing air pollution.

Air pollution and Health

Air pollution causes annually approximately 7 million premature deaths from strokes, heart failures, COPD, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections. Besides the deadly effects on humans, air pollution is a driver for climate crisis and damages nature and ecosystems; and adversely affects food security, social and gender parity, and economic development.

Air pollution particularly affects women, children and the elderly, as they are often exposed to high levels of ambient air pollution and indoor air pollution. Air pollution is linked to premature birth, low birth weight, and even infant mortality. These noxious effects can be brought to adolescence and adulthood, leading to asthma or other respiratory infections, cognitive effects, cancer or obesity. (Brumberg et al. (2021)).

For children who spend a large part of their day in schools, is essential that schools provide safe environments and clean indoor air.  But this is not always the case: severe indoor air quality problems in schools are frequently caused by poor building construction and maintenance, poor cleaning, and poor ventilation (Annesi-Maesano et al. (2013)). Moreover, outdoor pollution plays also a role, since air enters schools through windows, doors and ventilation systems.

Therefore is crucial to continue investigating and researching the different causes of air pollution, developing new, easy-to -use and accessible ventilation technologies.

SynAir-G for Clean Air

SynAir-G is investigating the interaction between the different pollutants in schools, and the related health effects on children at school. It will ultimately create a comprehensive and personalised user-friendly solution to monitoring indoor air quality, and proposals for possible interventions and an improved regulatory framework.

This will be achieved through the attentive work of SynAir-G partners, who work on different steps of the research, from the detection of air pollutants in schools to the study of their health effects of air pollutants, developing more effective detectors and air purifiers.

The SynAir-G project will contribute to science and policy to identify new standards to promote better indoor air quality and eventually improve the overall quality of air, for cleaner air and bluer skies.

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On the 6^th of  July 2023, the SynAir-G Coordinator was invited as a speaker to represent the  IDEAL Cluster at the 7th WHO Ministerial Conference on Health and Environment in Budapest. Prof. Nikos Papadopoulos presented the relevant role of the cluster in raising awareness and reducing the risk of the most important sources of air pollution.

The session was organised by European Commission Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD), and promoted by the European Commission, Directorate-General for the Environment (DG ENV), European Environment Agency (EEA), and Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), which was also the moderator of the panel.

The panel showcased the outcomes of four large-scale collaborative initiatives and their potential to inform policy implementation measures, including the indoor air quality cluster.

Nikos Papadopoulos promoted the role of IDEAL Cluster in “citizen’s empowerment in breathing clean air indoors. On this matter, IDEAL provides data, proposes standards and policies and generates air monitoring and air-improvement solutions with direct impact on health”.

Additionally, he also showcased the relevant role of IDEAL Cluster on raising greater public awareness and reducing risks of the most important sources of air pollution.

All in all, the session highlighted the extensive framework of initiatives under the EU’s Green Deal aimed at protecting public health from the impacts of environmental degradation. It also brought together different EU-funded research initiatives which could answer pressing policy questions on how to tackle the impact of environmental pollution on people’s health.

Lastly, the participation of IDEAL Cluster and SynAir-G was a precious opportunity to shed light on the importance of the development of technologies to prevent the side effects of indoor air pollution, and the role of SynAir-G and IDEAL Cluster in it.

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SynAir-G’s approach to Indoor Air Quality

The 5^th of June is World Environment Day (WED). Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Environment Day is the largest global event for environmental public outreach. On this day millions of people across the world join efforts to raise awareness on the environmental challenges and advocate to protect and restore the Earth.

The SynAir-G project aims to reveal and quantify synergistic interactions between different pollutants affecting health, from mechanisms to real life, focusing on the school setting. Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is highly susceptible to air pollutants, particularly the ones detected in schools.

It is important to know more about air pollutants, their sources, and their impact on children’s health. For instance, on average 8-year-old pupils spend around 1,000 hours per year at school and breathe 900 litres of air per hour. They also tend to breathe 30% more times more per minute than average adults, which implies a much frequent intake of air, and subsequently, at major risk of questionable air quality.

According to World Health Organisation, air pollution is defined as “contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere”.

Indoor air pollutants have both indoor and outdoor origins. For instance, in a school setting, some indoor pollutants can be chalking dust created by their use on the blackboard, or a wall freshly painted. On the other hand, examples of outdoor air pollutants are more mainstream and can be visualised as the pollution caused by vehicles passing nearby the school, a school garden or a public street full of white poplar trees that produce high quantities of fluff.

Among the conditions exacerbated by air pollution there are allergies, asthma, atopic eczema, together with rhino conjunctivitis. Moreover, research studies have linked indoor air pollution in schools with a decrease in learning performance and academic execution of the children affected by it. One of SynAir-G’s objectives is to study the connection between the dynamics of indoor air pollutants (sources, routes of exposure, dispersion), including interactions between indoor and outdoor spaces.

In detail, SynAir-G plans to use an ample range of sensors that can accurately and concurrently survey the vast assortment of chemical and biological pollutants. In parallel, the project will continue to obtain and detail the relevant health outcomes, considering the appropriate population collecting in real-life settings (in schools in 5 different countries) and covering multiple socioeconomic backgrounds in Europe. If needed, this data will combine in a multi-sensing platform.

Therefore, SynAir-G expects to build robust scientific evidence about synergies between air pollutants and allergens in indoor spaces, and boost interest and highlight the relevance of research on indoor air quality and allergens in public spaces. Simultaneously, it foresees to implement of informed and preventative European policies addressing air quality in schools; and setting up clear guidelines on how to create cleaner indoor spaces in schools. SynAir-G ultimately envisages, with its work, to increase awareness of the impact of indoor quality on education and reduce the risk of exacerbations in schools for students living with asthma and allergy.

SynAir-G will develop & execute an effective dissemination/communication strategy focused on visionary scientific research, to impact the lives of EU citizens and try to turn the future into reality with active involvement of all partners.

Sources:

1. Annesi-Maesano, I., Hulin, M., Lavaud, F., Raherison, C., Kopferschmitt, C., de Blay, F., André Charpin, D., Denis, C., 2012. Poor air quality in classrooms related to asthma and rhinitis in primary schoolchildren of the French 6 Cities Study. Thorax 67 (8), 682–688. https://doi.org/10.1136/thoraxjnl-2011-200391.
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