Glass lungs in the School Anti-Smog Team in Nierada

"Let's check what's in the air" was the main theme of the second meeting of the School Anti-Smog Team in Nierada which is supervised by Subregional Eco-Manager Dominika Bukalak-Gaik.

Our Eco-Manager assumes that experiment is the basis for learning about the world and its problems, that’s  why EcoKids experiments to better understand the poor air quality problem.

The Eco-Manager started the class by asking "what kind of air do we breathe today?" The answers were various, the majority saying that we breathe clean air. This statement has been debated. The Eco-Manager by using a mobile application for monitoring air quality, showed that the air, especially in the morning, isn’t clean at all. Joint analysis of the air quality map allowed to conclude that in green Europe Poland is one large yellow and red "light bulb".

To observe what is in the air, the Eco-Manager prepared an experiment - glass lungs. A model of human lungs was placed on glass plates. The model was filled by cosmetic vaseline, thanks to its properties it will capture pollutants from the air. Each class placed their glass lungs outside. Some of them were placed near the street, which will allow for the assessment of street traffic affects for air quality. The tiles will stay there for three weeks.

During the next meeting, students armed with magnifying glasses will check what is floating in the air and thay take notes from their observations. Each group will also present their recommendations about how to protect their own health against air pollution.

The experiment is primarily intended to help in permanently acquiring knowledge about air quality, which has a real impact on our health and life.

Text and photos: Dominika Bukalak-Gaik