Safe Air Schools UK joins global call for clean classroom air at United Nations

For immediate release

New York / London, 23 September 2025

Inclusive, sustainable, and equitable education starts with the air children

breathe.

Safe Air Schools UK is taking part in a landmark United Nations event in New York today,

where world leaders, international organisations, and civil society are uniting to demand

safe and healthy indoor air.

Safe Air Schools' air quality expert, Sotirios Papathanasiou, is sharing the stage with global

leaders as they sign a pledge to launch a movement to make indoor air healthy for all.

In the UK, the Department for Education issued CO₂ monitors during the height of the

pandemic, though use is not mandated, and schools report challenges. This goes far beyond

viruses: airborne allergies also put children at risk. The DfE itself acknowledges this in its CO₂ monitor guidance.

And as we pass “Week 38” when paediatric asthma and allergy hospital admissions

traditionally surge, the urgency could not be clearer.

Sotirios said:

“By making the invisible world of indoor air visible, air quality monitoring solutions

give us the power to truly understand our spaces. This data-driven insight is the key

that unlocks adaptive ventilation, allowing buildings to breathe intelligently -

providing fresh air precisely when needed and cutting energy waste from needless

over-ventilation.”

Founder, Nathalie Pearson, added:

“Educating and empowering children is central. Most children and teachers don’t

realise how much classroom air matters. Those who do often face barriers to

implementing action. Today, with their schools’ support, two Junior Ambassadors are

at the UN to remind the world that the future must be seen and heard.”

This event marks a turning point in recognising indoor air quality as a core part of education,

inclusion, and public health.

About Safe Air Schools UK

Safe Air Schools is a parent-led organisation, supported by experts, working to improve air

quality in classrooms. It brings together a growing coalition of independent organisations

united in the same goal: ensuring all children can learn in safe, healthy environments.

Notes to Editors

Long Covid Advocacy is a coalition organisation of Safe Air Schools

For more information, please contact:

WhatsApp +44 (0)7376 633306