Across nearly 300 classrooms in 22 European countries, researchers have found that two soil-dwelling bacteria — Streptomyces and Mycobacterium — living quietly in classroom dust are measurably linked to reduced lung function in children. Presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Barcelona, the findings invite us to consider that the invisible microbial world a child inhabits for 180 days a year may quietly shape the lungs they carry into adulthood. The study does not yet name a cure, but it names a responsibility: the buildings where children learn are also places where childre
Classroom dust bacteria linked to reduced lung function in children across Europe
Children exposed to contaminated classroom environments show reduced lung function, with potential long-term health consequences if untreated.