Evaluation of Low-Cost Mitigation Measures Implemented to Improve Air Quality in Nursery and Primary Schools

Abstract

Indoor air pollution mitigation measures are highly important due to the associated health impacts, especially on children, a risk group that spends significant time indoors. Thus, the main goal of the work here reported was the evaluation of mitigation measures implemented in nursery and primary schools to improve air quality. Continuous measurements of CO2, CO, NO2, O3, CH2O, total volatile organic compounds (VOC), PM1, PM2.5, PM10, Total Suspended Particles (TSP) and radon, as well as temperature and relative humidity were performed in two campaigns, before and after the implementation of low-cost mitigation measures. Evaluation of those mitigation measures was performed through the comparison of the concentrations measured in both campaigns. Exceedances to the values set by the national legislation and World Health Organization (WHO) were found for PM2.5, PM10, CO2 and CH2O during both indoor air quality campaigns. Temperature and relative humidity values were also above the ranges recommended by American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). In general, pollutant concentrations measured after the implementation of low-cost mitigation measures were significantly lower, mainly for CO2. However, mitigation measures were not always sufficient to decrease the pollutants’ concentrations till values considered safe to protect human health.

Impact of indoor air pollution in nursery and primary schools on childhood asthma

“…Besides, children are frequently physically active in school, increasing their ventilation rate and thus the inhaled dose of pollutant concentrations. School building characteristics have a significant contribution to indoor air exposure (Amato et al, 2014;Salonen et al, 2019), and building maintenance is usually challenging in schools (Hauptman and Phipatanakul, 2015;Sá et al, 2017).…”

Radon in Indoor Air: Towards Continuous Monitoring

“…Since radon exposure at schools was suggested to have a considerable impact on children's health, the interest in indoor radon monitoring in nursery and primary schools has been increasing [13][14][15][16][17].…”