Nitrous Oxide Out of Classrooms (NOOC) has been campaigning for around 18 months to have unflued gas heaters removed from classrooms and replaced by either flued heaters or heaters using another energy source.

The group is concerned that unflued heaters could fill classrooms with nitrogen dioxide, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide fumes if windows and doors are not left open.

Parent Greg Dollin, who removed his child from Mudgee Primary School on the advice of a doctor, has called on NSW Opposition Barry O’Farrell to take up the issue.

Mr Dollin and around half a dozen other Mudgee Public School parents have written to the State and Federal Governments, as well as ministers.

Mr Dollin said last week’s call from the Asthma Foundation of NSW for the release of a statewide study into the safety of unflued gas heaters in public schools was a sign that parents’ concerns were gaining some support.

The Asthma Foundation has joined parents’ and teachers’ groups in calling for the results of the study to be published as soon as possible.

Asthma Foundation chief executive officer Greg Smith told the Sydney Morning Herald that the group was unhappy about the idea of going through another winter with the results being made public.

“[We have] been doing a survey of other published research and we believe there is a lot of evidence that gives cause for real concern about these heaters.”

A 2004 study found people with asthma or respiratory illnesses were particularly susceptible to exposure to nitrogen dioxide and children might suffer more often from cold symptoms or asthma attacks if exposed over a prolonged period of time.

In response to a letter written by Mr Dollin in September, Mudgee Public School principal Mark Young advised that the manager of compliance and energy from the Department of Education and Training asset management directorate had measured nitrogen levels in a range of settings around the school in June, 2009.

“The readings indicated that in each of the rooms and other areas tested the levels were significantly lower than the World Health Organisation (WHO) guideline value of 110ppb,” Mr Young said.

“Following the results from this testing, Mudgee Public will not be replacing the existing heaters.”