Art room solvents, asbestos in pre-2000 buildings, school furniture off-gassing and commercial cleaning residues.
14 chemicals in this category
Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring fibrous silicate minerals — primarily chrysotile (white asbestos), crocidolite (blue asbestos), and amosite (brown asbestos) — used extensively in construction, insulation, a…
Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring fibrous silicate minerals — not a synthetic chemical, but categorised here alongside microplastic fibres because its harm mechanism is identical: microscopic inhalable fibres…
Azo dyes are a large family of synthetic colorants characterised by one or more azo groups (-N=N-). Six specific azo food dyes — sunset yellow (E110), quinoline yellow (E104), carmoisine (E122), allura red (E129), tar…
Cadmium is a heavy metal that accumulates in the kidneys and bone, causing kidney damage and bone demineralisation with chronic exposure. Cadmium pigments — cadmium yellow, cadmium orange, and cadmium red — produce in…
Schools are cleaned daily using commercial-grade products that differ significantly from domestic equivalents in both concentration and application volume. Caretaking staff apply disinfectants, floor cleaners, toilet …
Correction fluids (white-out), permanent markers, whiteboard markers, and highlighters are everyday classroom items that collectively contribute a significant VOC load to school indoor air. While individual items seem…
Artificial turf systems use recycled tyre rubber ("crumb rubber") as the infill material that cushions the synthetic grass surface. This crumb rubber is a complex mixture of styrene-butadiene rubber, carbon black, PAH…
Formaldehyde is an IARC Group 1 confirmed human carcinogen present in many environments — from flat-pack furniture off-gassing to keratin hair straightening treatments. In personal care products it appears directly or…
The desks, chairs, shelving, and cupboards in most UK classrooms are constructed from medium-density fibreboard (MDF) or particleboard bonded with urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins. These resins release formaldehyde gas c…
Lead is a heavy metal with no safe level of exposure for children. Even at blood levels once considered acceptable, lead causes permanent cognitive impairment, reduced IQ, behavioural problems, and ADHD-like symptoms.…
Permethrin is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide modelled on natural pyrethrins from chrysanthemum flowers. It is one of the most widely used insecticides in gardens, homes, and agriculture. Highly effective against a…
School photocopiers, laser printers, and inkjet printers collectively emit a cocktail of volatile organic compounds, ultrafine particles, and ozone that can significantly degrade indoor air quality in staff rooms, pri…
Phthalates are widely used plasticisers in soft PVC — making it flexible for products such as pencil cases, ring binders, lunchboxes, plastic rulers, school bags, and vinyl-covered exercise books. Several phthalates, …
Trichloramine is the compound responsible for the characteristic "pool smell" — a smell most people associate with cleanliness. It is not the smell of clean water. It is the smell of chlorine reacting with urine, swea…
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