Almost 50% of schools in Spain have moisture problems

This is the conclusion of a study, in which participated the Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), that has compared the conditions of moisture and mold in schools from Spain, Netherlands and Finland, as representing different climatic regions.

The results showed that moisture and mold problems in such buildings are a fairly common problem in all three countries. In the Spain case, this problem was present in almost half of schools (47%). The percentage in Netherlands (43%) was quite close to Spain, but was reduced by almost half in the case of Finland (24%). This could be explained because of the double or even triple glazed windows to insulate the cold and dampness in the Nordic country.

"In all three countries the most common cause of moisture problems seems to be that seeps through the walls and/or ceilings", warns CREAL researcher, Alícia Borràs.

It should be added that three provinces were taken as a reference of the three countries: Barcelona (Spain-78 schools), Utrecht (Holland-79 schools) and Kuopio (Finland-36 schools). Besides CREAL, this study has been conducted by the National Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland, and the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS) in Netherlands.

Humidity effects on health

The study Health Effects of Indoor Pollutants: Integrating Microbial, Toxicological and Epidemiological Approaches (HITEA), funded by the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union, is designed to explore the associations between indoor air quality in schools and the effects on health of students and teachers.

The effects of humidity on health can be respiratory problems like cough, rhinitis, hoarseness or difficulty breathing and asthma. These effects, both in students and teachers, are being studied in the same schools that have participated in this study.

Even this, it has been shown in other studies that "the repair of moisture problems in school buildings leads to improvement or disappearance of respiratory symptoms in children exposed to such humidity in school," says Alícia Borràs.

Reference: Haverinen-Shaughnessy U, Borras-Santos A, Turunen M, Zock JP, Jacobs J, Krop EJ, Casas L, Shaughnessy R, Taubel M, Heederik D, Hyvarinen A, Pekkanen J, Nevalainen A. Occurrence of moisture problems in schools in three countries from different climatic regions of Europe base don questionnaires and building inspections – the HITEA study. Indoor Air 2012.