Air Quality and Early Childhood Education
Early childhood education (ECE) services are required to hold a licence issued by the Ministry of Education. The conditions for holding a licence to operate an ECE service are in the Ministry of Education’s Education (Early Childhood) Regulations 2008 (the regulations). The air quality where an ECE service operates is not covered by the regulations.
The regulations have standards that ECE services must be meet to ensure children have a suitable place to play and learn, are protected from harm (e.g. water temperature, safety glass) and are well cared for (e.g. food preparation, infection control). The standards cover aspects that are within the control of the person or organisation operating the ECE service. It is these standards that the Ministry of Education has the regulatory authority to assess, review and monitor.
Although the surrounding (ambient) air quality is outside the scope of the Ministry’s regulatory authority, it is important for all of us involved in early childhood education to do what we can to provide children with safe and healthy environments in which they can learn and grow.
National air quality standards (NAQs) are set by the Ministry for the Environment and apply right across the country. It is important to note that these apply everywhere – there are no additional standards for schools, homes, or early childhood education centres.
The Resource Management (National Environmental Standards relating to certain air pollutants, dioxins and other toxins) Regulations 2004 set the standards for the maximum amounts for different types of air pollutants, for the protection of people’s health. The air quality standards are available on the Ministry for the Environment's website.
Under the Resource Management Act 1991 regional councils/unitary authorities are responsible for managing the air quality in their respective region. These councils develop regional plans (sometimes called ‘air plans’) to address specific air quality issues for each region. Regional air plans outline the regional council’s goals for achieving the NAQS and contain rules about discharges to air from activities such as industry, domestic fires and vehicles. Regional councils also monitor outdoor air quality at different sites around New Zealand and report publicly within 30 days when levels exceed the standards. An important role of the Ministry for the Environment is to provide guidance and assist councils to meet the national air quality standards.
City and district councils (also known as territorial authorities) are also responsible for developing district plans that determine land use in different parts of their areas. Councils help ensure suitable safe and healthy areas are available for ECE services when district plans are developed.
Anyone considering the development of an ECE service should approach the relevant regional council for information on suitable safe and healthy areas i.e. areas where the NAQS are met. This will help ECE service providers to give full consideration to children’s health in relation to air quality concerns when choosing sites for ECE services.
ECE services must meet all Ministry of Education requirements to obtain a licence to operate. ECE services must also meet all council requirements including resource consent and building permissions. Local councils will be able to provide information about their requirements and the processes that must be followed when establishing an ECE service in their area.
Why does air quality matter to ECE?
Children are more susceptible to the effects of air pollution than adults, as lung function passes through critical developmental stages in early childhood. Lungs do not fully develop until approximately six years of age and children’s immune systems are immature.
Children breathe 50% more air than adults (by body weight) and children in early childhood education also spend significant time outdoors, undertaking activities with high levels of physical exertion.
Air pollution can reduce lung function in children, and long-term exposure may cause reductions in function that persist into adulthood.
What is the quality of air in New Zealand?
The air in most parts of New Zealand is clean and healthy to breathe. However, there are some places, mostly within our cities and towns, where air pollution is a concern. The main causes of air pollution are burning coal and wood for home heating and vehicles, particularly on heavily used roads.
What is air pollution?
Air pollutants include particles, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone and many hazardous hydrocarbons and metal compounds. The air pollutants that are likely to cause adverse health effects when people are exposed to them are fine particles produced naturally (from pollen, bushfires, etc.) and from human activities (domestic fires, industries and motor vehicles).
Fine particles consist of solid particles and liquid droplets that are invisible to the human eye. Fine particles with a diameter of less than 10 micrometres (μm) or a fifth of the size of a human hair are called PM10. These can easily be inhaled and lodged in our lungs. They can stay suspended in the air for over a month.
The composition of fine particles varies with place, season, weather conditions and the sources producing them. Fine particles enter indoors, travel large distances in the air and can stay suspended in the air for up to 40 days. For further information refer to the Ministry for the Environment’s environmental report cards on air quality (PM10)
The air pollutants carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), Ozone (O3), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Benzene (C6H6) and 1,3-Butadiene (C4H6) are gases produced by motor vehicles, industries and domestic fires.
What are the health effects of air pollution?
Air pollution is linked to a wide range of health effects. Fine particles are inhaled and deposit in our nose, throat, and penetrate deep into our lungs. This can reduce lung function causing respiratory symptoms (coughing, wheezing). The fine particles have the greatest affect on children and elderly people, as well as people with existing asthma, and lung or heart disease.
Air pollution caused by motor vehicle emissions also has potentially serious health implications for children, such as increased risk of asthma and respiratory infections. Benzene and 1,3-Butadiene are associated with an increased incidence of leukaemia.
Other potential health effects from air pollution include bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, heart attacks, arteriosclerosis, strokes, high blood pressure, and asthma.
Health effects from air pollution can lead to days off work or school, increased medication, hospitalisation, and premature deaths.
For further information on health and air pollution refer to the Ministry for the Environment’s website
Where is air pollution?
Air pollution intensity is the combination of how much pollutant is being discharged into the air and the rate at which the pollutant is dispersed or removed. The effect of air pollutants increases in areas with poor air dispersion. The dispersal of air pollutants is affected by the natural environment including weather, wind, landscape, trees etc. Man-made structures can also reduce air flow and the dispersal of air pollutants e.g. enclosed car parking facilities.
Concentrations of many pollutants from vehicle emissions are related to the number of vehicles and their closeness. Being closer to busier roads increases the risk of exposure to air pollution. It is not possible to give exact distances from roads with a specific number of vehicles that would give a sufficient reduction of air pollution.
There are locations which are more likely to have air pollution at high levels such as:
- within 5 metres of a busy intersection or congested area
- within 20 metres of a vehicle route of over 10,000 vehicles per day
- within 100 metres of a motorway.
As well as areas at risk of air pollution from vehicle emissions there are other areas where there is potential for air pollution including land:
- near railway and industrial areas
- underneath airport flight pathways
- dust from land that has been contaminated by past land use (including industry and horticulture)
- near sources of harmful emissions such as petrol stations or other activities likely to produce harmful air emissions such as surface coating operations (spray painters)
ECE service providers can help reduce the health risk to children from air pollution by avoiding developing services on sites in areas where there is more likely to be air pollution.
Ways to reduce health risks from poor air quality
As well as avoiding establishing ECE services in areas at risk of poor air quality existing ECE services in an area at risk of poor air quality can adopt measures to reduce the risk of children’s exposure. This could include: having outside play areas as far away from the road as practicable, requiring parents/caregivers to turn off car engines when dropping or picking up children, restricting excursions in the local environs to times when traffic levels are lowest.
ECE service providers, families and communities can encourage regional councils to include adequate provision of ECE services in city/district plans for land use. They can also support regional councils with the implementation of air plans to ensure designated areas in the region meet the NAQs.
Questions and answers
What can I do if I am concerned about the air quality at an ECE service?
Contact your local regional council for information about the air quality.
My ECE centre is near a busy road, what will the Ministry of Education do if the issue of air quality is raised?
Although air quality is not within the Ministry of Education’s regulatory authority any concerns on the health and safety of children attending ECE services is taken seriously. Those with ECE centres near busy roads should contact the Regional Council in their area for information about the air quality at their centre and any steps the council is taking to improve air quality.
There seems to be a strange smell at my centre and I think it is coming from a business down the road. What should I do?
Contact the Regional Council for your area as they are responsible for addressing concerns about air pollution.
Further sources of information
For information about the air quality in your area and any plans in place to improve air quality, contact your local regional council – council contact details are available through the New Zealand Local Government Online website.
Information about air quality and air pollution is available on the Ministry for the Environment website.
Information about the health effects of air pollution is available on the Ministry of Health website including the Environmental Health Indicators report 2008. The Ministry of Health’s website also has information on regional public health services who can be contacted for information about air pollution related health concerns.