Disclosing classroom air quality with a scan

A middle school in Yangpu district has posted QR codes in its recently renovated classrooms so parents can check the quality of the school's renovations with a simple scan of their mobile phones, the Shanghai Environmental Protection Industry Association announced Monday.

The school put up the square bar codes as part of a pilot program that aims to assure parents that their children won't be breathing toxic fumes from the renovations.

Many schools renovate their interiors during summer vacation, but parents worry that the two-month period isn't long enough for the noxious fumes from some construction materials, which can contain carcinogens such as methylbenzene, to dissipate.

In 2011, 73 students at the newly built Wunan Kindergarten in Shanghai missed the first day of classes because their parents were worried about the "pungent fumes" in the building stemming from construction over the summer.

The QR codes, which can be scanned with most mobile devices, offer parents a simple way to check the air quality and other details about the renovations, said Li Wei, the vice secretary-general of the Shanghai Environmental Protection Industry Association. "By scanning the codes with a mobile phone application, parents can get a full report about the air quality indoors," Li told the Global Times.

The scan results for the school's 72-square-meter conference hall showed that the air quality in the room has been tested on three different days since August 19. The tests were all clear. The scan results also showed that the composite wood floors and coatings on the walls, desks and chairs all met standards.

In the past, schools have not released the complete results of such safety inspections to parents. The QR code scans, however, give parents access to the full inspection results for seven classrooms, Li said.

The pilot program is expected to eventually be implemented citywide, and could be expanded to places like hospitals, shopping malls and movie theaters.