Un-flued gas heating emits harmful and invisible poisonous gases (nitrogen dioxide, carbon dioxide, formaldehyde and carbon monoxide) directly into public school class rooms.

“Would you park a running car in a kids’ classroom with the exhaust directly in the classroom?"

What is an unflued heater?

Heaters mandated by the Department of Education and Training (DET) are unflued, meaning that:

o heaters burn gas to produce heat
o they have no flue or chimney
o the combustion products are released into the classroom rather than pumped outside.

Pollutants

Unflued gas heaters produce a number of pollutants as a result of combustion. Pollutants that can harm your health include nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and formaldehyde. Unflued gas heaters also produce water vapour that can indirectly affect health by increasing the growth of moulds and dust mites.

Why are we using them in NSW schools?

Unflued gas heaters are not used in schools in Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia (whilst in Tasmania it is not a common form of heating in schools), and are banned in other parts of the world.

Replacement of unflued gas heaters in cold-climate regions like the Blue Mountains and the Southern Highlands is particularly urgent because healthy heating is an important component of classroom environments. In cold and rainy conditions, children are being exposed to fumes from unflued gas heaters upwards of 30 hours per week.

Convince Me!

• What are the Facts?

  Pollutants in NSW public school classrooms. Want to know more about the facts? »

• Where's the Science?

  Surely there have been scientific studies done on this. You bet. Read about the science here »

• What are schools doing?

  If it's such a serious issue, why aren't the schools doing anything. Well, it's not as simple as it sounds. Read more about what schools are doing here »

• What's the government doing?

  Is the government aware of this? And if so, what's it doing about it? That's a very good question. What are the government doing about it? »

• What's the DET's response?

  Surely the Department of Education and Training is aware of the issue. They are, but you might be interested in the DET's response »

• What can I do?

  There's a lot that parents and the community can do to make our concerns heard. Read more about what you can do »