Air Pollution in Schools: A Closer Look in Hawassa City

Air pollution is a big problem, especially for kids. There aren't many studies on this in African schools, so researchers took a look at primary schools in Hawassa, Ethiopia. They checked for tiny particles (PM2. 5 and PM10) and harmful gases (NO2, CO, and SO2) in the air. They used special meters to measure these pollutants. The results showed that PM2. 5 and PM10 levels were way above what's safe in many schools. Most schools had high levels of PM10, and about half had too much PM2. 5. The hazard quotient, which tells you how risky it is, showed that PM10 was more of a problem. The Air Quality Index said that the air was unhealthy for sensitive groups in 40% of the sites for PM2. 5 and 30% for PM10. Schools near busy roads had it even worse. This is a big deal because kids are more vulnerable to air pollution. It can cause all sorts of health problems. So, it's important to make sure schools have clean air. Maybe we need to look into reducing traffic around schools or finding other ways to clean up the air.