Schools will be subject to stricter indoor air quality regulations from the second half of this year to ensure the health and safety of students.
 
The Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development said Friday that the new rules are designed to protect students and teachers from "sick school syndrome."
 
The syndrome refers to an illnesses caused by poor air quality inside school buildings due to poor ventilation or the discharge of harmful chemicals from toxic building materials.
 
The ministry plans to enforce stricter standards on the materials and equipments used in the construction of school buildings to protect students and teachers from being exposed to toxic chemicals.
 
It also plans to launch an inspection program for measuring the air pollution level of newly built schools.
 
The program is designed to conduct inspections twice a year for the next three years, and if a school is found to be unhealthy, the building will undergo clean-up procedures.
 
The procedures will include the "Bake-Out" method, under which the temperature within the school building would be raised to 35 to 40 degree Celsius to evaporate toxic chemical residues.
 
A total of 32 municipal environmental research institutes and private agencies selected by the Ministry of Environment, are to conduct the inspection.
 
In addition, ventilation of aged school buildings will be recommended, either by natural airing or by vacuuming dust particles.
 
In accordance to the location and other miscellaneous characteristics of schools, suitable environmental management procedures will be applied.
 
For instance, schools with heaters in their classrooms will be inspected for the presence of carbon monoxide.
 
Schools located near roads with a high traffic volume will be inspected for excess carbon dioxide, and basements of school buildings will be inspected for radon.
 

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