The Air We Share

For as long as I can remember, my parents instilled in me the belief that education — and the knowledge it brings — is priceless. It pushed me to soak up as much information as I could in class, and I came to feel deep respect and admiration for the educators who supported my growth. When I was younger, school seemed like a place built for exploration, a resource to understand the world and people better, and I think that this played a part in my decision to attend college and eventually pursue medical training. 

Now, as a first-year medical student, I am learning valuable things like how to associate symptoms with specific diseases, how to build frameworks for diagnoses, and how to develop treatment plans that can alleviate pain and suffering. Every time I get to apply what I’ve learned, it is an opportunity to improve the quality of life of a patient, which is very rewarding.  

I often reflect on the journey that brought me to this current phase in my life, and I can’t help but feel incredibly lucky and grateful for the educational foundation I had during my childhood. Those positive early experiences helped shape who I am and had a profound impact on my development. Having experienced firsthand how education is tied to opportunities, self-fulfillment, life outcomes, and, indirectly, health, I believe that it is critical to ensure that future generations have similar opportunities. 

However, over the past several years, students have been experiencing disruption in their education. On a national level, many students are missing school at much higher rates since 2020, but in the L.A. Unified District specifically, 45.2% of students were absent for at least 10% of the school year, known as “chronic absenteeism,” in 2021–2022, 36.5% in 2022–2023, and the estimated rate for 2023–2024 is around 32.3%. While the rates are gradually decreasing, they still remain higher than pre-pandemic levels of about 20%, which was already higher than the national average of 15%. Missed school days can be attributed to multiple factors, but acute and chronic illness remain significant drivers of absences.  

“The recent wildfires in January 2025 have created a real demand for information and accessible solutions around indoor air quality. Young people want to know how they can take action, so launching efforts to provide them with the skills to alter the status quo are critical to supporting youths’ sense of agency, hope, and efficacy.“

One underlying cause of illness and, as a result, school absences in L.A. County, is air pollution. Last year, the Los Angeles–Long Beach area was ranked sixth out of 204 metropolitan regions for annual PM2.5 pollution by the American Lung Association (ALA). PM2.5 refers to tiny particles that can remain suspended in the air for extended periods of time. These particulates are a major component of air pollution and are harmful not only to the lungs and airways but can also damage other organ systems. 

Some common sources of air pollution include fuel emissions from vehicles, wildfire smoke, and airborne pathogens such as COVID-19 and the flu. These pollutants are more easily inhaled in indoor spaces with inadequate ventilation, which can lead to a rise in respiratory infections and chronic illnesses like asthma. Heat also contributes to air pollution by speeding up the chemical reactions that create smog, increasing the likelihood of wildfires and droughts, while boosting pollen and dust levels that make breathing harder. With accelerating climate change, this effect will likely intensify each year, leading to even poorer air quality and greater health risks, especially for vulnerable communities. 

When we talk about air pollution, most people picture hazy skies and traffic-clogged freeways. But the truth is, the air inside our homes, schools, and workplaces is just as important — if not more so. We spend on average about 90% of our time indoors, yet polluted air doesn’t stop at the door. It seeps into classrooms, bedrooms, workplaces, quietly affecting our health in ways we often overlook. 

For children, this invisible threat can be especially damaging. Poor air quality doesn’t just irritate lungs. It can interfere with brain development and heart functioning, and set the stage for lifelong health issues. It also affects how kids learn, focus, and show up at school. PM2.5 exposure has been shown to be linked to increased absenteeism and lower academic performance. And the more a child is exposed, the worse the outcomes. 

But not all children are equally exposed. Black, Latino/Hispanic, and low-income youth often live in areas with high pollution levels. In fact, people of color are 3.7 times more likely to live in the most polluted counties in the country, according to ALA. In school districts like L.A. Unified, where the student body is nearly three-quarters Latino and/or Black and over half economically disadvantaged, access to clean air is an environmental justice and health equity issue. 

Without meaningful change, the rate of absences could remain high, especially in communities already burdened by environmental and economic challenges. Families will have to make a difficult decision: Do they keep their children home when they get sick, resulting in missed instructional time, or do they send them to class even though they don’t feel well? These options may have long-term consequences on a child’s ability to pursue higher education and limit future opportunities. So, expanding access to clean air in schools — where young people spend much of their time — can not only create a healthier learning environment and safer conditions for school staff but can also prevent a widening gap in health and educational outcomes facing vulnerable communities. 

That is why I am partnering with Clean Air Allies and The Corsi Rosenthal Foundation to implement an intervention that addresses indoor air pollution through hands-on learning, giving young people both the knowledge and tools to take action. The initiative would focus on teaching a curriculum that educates public school students in L.A. County and their teachers about the science and impact of air pollution.  

Students would also receive training and materials to build low-cost, portable “do-it-yourself” air purifiers for their classrooms, known as Corsi-Rosenthal (CR) boxes. The efficacy of these air cleaners in lowering PM2.5 levels is well-researched and supported by major public health agencies, like the CDC, and they are relatively straightforward to build. All it takes is four MERV 13 filters, duct tape, a 20-inch box fan, a cardboard box, and scissors. 

The goal of this approach is to foster a sense of agency in young people facing challenges that impact air quality and to create indoor environments conducive to health and learning.    

Particularly, at the local level, the recent wildfires in January 2025 have created a real demand for information and accessible solutions around indoor air quality. Young people want to know how they can take action, so launching efforts to provide them with the skills to alter the status quo are critical to supporting youths’ sense of agency, hope, and efficacy. 

Children and adolescents are force multipliers when it comes to initiating change in society, and they have the potential to influence their vulnerable families. If one cares about health and the ability to learn, it follows that one will want to improve both school and home conditions. A student who learns to build a CR box at school can be equipped to build one at home, thereby protecting not only their own health and safety, but also that of their parents, guardians, elders, and other community members, which has a powerful lasting impact.  

In a world increasingly shaped by uncertainty, young people deserve to feel empowered to protect their health and the spaces where they grow. Clean air in classrooms is not a privilege but a basic right that is needed to support every child’s potential to thrive and dream.