When pollen affects exam results, schools need to look indoors

Their argument is based on a large Finnish study analysing exam results from more than 90,000 upper secondary students over a 14-year period. The study shows an association between high pollen levels and poorer performance in important final exams. Published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, it has attracted widespread attention in the Nordic countries.

The conclusion often drawn from this debate is that the school system must adapt to the pollen season – by moving exams or adjusting academic calendars. But we believe that a good indoor environment can help mitigate pollen exposure and reduce the need to adapt schooling schedules.

Indoor air: part of the solution

With the right ventilation and filtration, particles and many airborne allergens can be reduced indoors. The level of pollen inside a school varies depending on several factors, including the type of ventilation system, filter class, airflow rates, air leakage, open windows and doors, as well as maintenance and operation.

Studies from Swedish school environments show that classrooms with modern, balanced ventilation systems are associated with lower levels of particles and other air pollutants. With appropriate filtration, the amount of pollen entering indoor spaces can also be reduced — but the effect needs to be assessed locally through measurement and proper system follow-up.

This is not about future technology. It is about proven solutions combined with knowledge, clear requirements and prioritisation.

Educational equity includes air quality

When researchers suggest that national exams should be rescheduled out of consideration for pollen allergies, they point to something important: allergic symptoms can affect sleep, concentration and, ultimately, student performance.

Public discussion often focuses on individual factors such as symptoms, side effects of medication and fatigue. These are relevant explanations for why performance may be affected, but they say less about what can be changed in the school environment. That is why the debate also needs to include measurement and follow-up of indoor air quality.

Instead of focusing solely on when exams take place, we should also ask what schools can do to reduce discomfort and create more equal conditions. This requires indoor air measurements, ongoing follow-up and, in many cases, improvements.

Indoor air quality in schools is also a matter of equity, as technical standards and building operation vary between schools. These differences can affect students’ learning conditions during the school day. The challenge may increase further as pollen seasons become longer and more intense, partly as a result of climate change.

An investment in health, learning and the future

Good ventilation and effective filtration in schools are investments in children’s health and educational outcomes. Fewer and milder symptoms can contribute to better sleep, improved concentration and overall wellbeing – and, in the long run, better performance.

Now is the time to move from ideas to practical action.

A broader perspective is needed

We in the Healthy Indoors Alliance – a collaboration between companies with long experience in ventilation, air filtration and indoor climate – believe that the debate on pollen and school performance is necessary, but incomplete.

Pollen should not determine who succeeds in school.
Exam schedules should not have to follow the flowering of birch trees.
And children’s ability to learn should not be limited by air quality that we can, in fact, influence.

It is time to lift our gaze from the calendar and invest in the indoor environments where children spend most of their school day.

• Ola Skoglund, VP Corporate Communiction, Camfil Group

• Emmy Koivisto, Director Marketing, Camfil Svenska

• Mathilde Krarup Frandsen, Marketing Manager, Condair A/S

• Mikael Börjesson, Director Future Solutions & Public Affairs, Swegon Group

• Malin Höij, Swegon Group, Director Group Communication, Swegon Group