Date: December 15, 2018
To: The Xavier School Community
From: The School President
Re: Air Quality Monitoring Device in Xavier School
Last month, in observance of November as the “National Environmental Awareness Month” and “National Clean Air Month,” Xavier School installed and unveiled its own outdoor air quality monitoring station near Gate 14 during the Environmental Fair on November 29, 2018. The outdoor air quality monitoring unit will measure live air quality in the immediate vicinity and automatically transmit the data to the AirVisual website, the world’s biggest network of more than 10,000 air quality monitoring stations around the world. The website is accessible to the public and can be a public service to generate awareness on air pollution levels.
The Air Quality Monitor measures live air quality data: temperature and humidity, carbon dioxide level, and the air quality index (AQI), a system for reporting air quality levels in terms of PM2.5.
This refers to particulate matter in air with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less. Due to its size, PM 2.5 is considered the most dangerous pollutant to human health as it can be absorbed into the bloodstream by our lungs. According the WHO, the safe level for PM2.5 is 10 micrograms per cubic meter of air in a year. School-age children are vulnerable to the effects of air pollution like asthma, concentration levels and cognitive performance.
Monitoring and sharing live air quality data on the AirVisual website allows us to contribute information to the community and the rest of the world as well. Data gathered from the monitor located at Gate 14 allows us to come up with measures that will maintain or improve the air quality in our area. Through this, Xavier School also supports DENR, DOH, and WHO in “taking steps to decrease the environmental health risk of air pollution and to strengthen the health impact assessment for projects and activities that may cause air pollution.”
Check out the links below to find out about the status of the outdoor air quality
a. Worldwide: https://www.airvisual.com/
b. In the Philippines: https://www.airvisual.com/
c. Around Xavier School: https://www.airvisual.com/
To view the live Air Quality Map anywhere in the world, you may access this link: https://www.airvisual.com/air-
Download the Free App on your iPhone or Android phone to access air quality readings at: https://www.airvisual.com/air-
For the Clean Air Advocacy of Xavier School, the following are in effect:
a. Compliance with San Juan City Ordinances:
1. Anti-Idling Ordinance
http://w5.xs.edu.ph/2018/07/
2. Executive Order No.26; no smoking and no DSA (designated smoking areas)
b. Grade school classrooms are equipped with air purifier equipment to keep our indoor learning environment clean, free from bad odors and reduce the incidences of air borne bacteria and viruses among children.
(Sgd.)
Fr. Aristotle C. Dy, S.J.
School President
References and related literature:
https://www.airvisual.com/air-
https://www.unicef.org/press-