Identification of potential indoor air pollutants in schools

Becerra, J. A.; Lizana, Jesús; Gil, Maite; Padura, Ángela Barrios; Blondeau, Patrice; Chacartegui, Ricardo

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118420

Cited by 103 publications

(79 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…After monitoring 25 nursery and primary schools they concluded that PM 2.5 and CO 2 were the major concerning pollutants. Likewise, Becerra et al [29] measured high priority pollutants (such as CO 2 , PM 2.5 , PM 10 , and TVOC, among others) in nine Mediterranean schools. The authors reported that the main indoor air pollutant sources were those related to occupancy and settled dust: CO 2 and PM.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Indoor Air Quality Assessment: Comparison of Ventilation Scenarios for Retrofitting Classrooms in a Hot Climate

2019

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Current energy efficiency policies in buildings foster the promotion of energy retrofitting of the existing stock. In southern Spain, the most extensive public sector is that of educational buildings, which is especially subject to significant internal loads due to high occupancy. A large fraction of the energy retrofit strategies conducted to date have focused on energy aspects and indoor thermal comfort, repeatedly disregarding indoor air quality criteria. This research assesses indoor air quality in a school located in the Mediterranean area, with the objective of promoting different ventilation scenarios, based on occupancy patterns and carbon dioxide levels monitored on site. Results show that manual ventilation cannot guarantee minimum indoor quality levels following current standards. A constant ventilation based on CO2 levels allows 15% more thermal comfort hours a year to be reached, compared to CO2-based optimized demand-controlled ventilation. Nevertheless, the latter ensures 35% annual energy savings, compared to a constant CO2-based ventilation, and 37% more annual energy savings over that of a constant ventilation rate of outdoor air per person.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Indoor Air Quality Assessment: Comparison of Ventilation Scenarios for Retrofitting Classrooms in a Hot Climate

2019

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“…However, the current CO 2 atmospheric mean concentration is accepted to have exceeded 415 ppm with an increasing frequency. The literature has described assessments of the indoor air quality in schools in Portugal [27][28][29] and abroad [30,31] because it is a matter of public health. Results confirmed that schools need to improve the quality of their indoor air, particularly in buildings in which mechanical ventilation systems are not used [27,31].…”

Section: Air Pollutants Sources and Human Health Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indoor Air Quality Improvement Using Nature-Based Solutions: Design Proposals to Greener Cities

Mata

Oliveira

Silva

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Low indoor air quality is an increasingly important problem due to the spread of urbanization. Because people spend most of their time inside, poor indoor air quality causes serious human health issues, resulting in significant economic losses. In this work, the current state of affairs is presented and analyzed, focusing on the current problems and the available solutions to improve the quality of indoor air, and the use of nature-based solutions. These involve the cultivation of microalgae in closed photobioreactors. In these systems, photosynthetic organisms can capture CO2 and other pollutants generated in indoor environments, which they use to grow and develop biomass. Several possible layouts for the implementation of microalgae-based indoor air cleaning systems are presented, taking into account the systems that are currently available at a commercial scale. A critical analysis of the microalgae indoor purification systems is presented, highlighting their advantages and disadvantages, and suggesting potential improvements and future lines of research and development in the area.

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“…Due to insufficient ventilation, there is a risk of harmful substances and the deterioration of the quality of the indoor environment. Common pollutants in building interiors include water vapor, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) [24][25][26][27] (see Appendix C for more on VOCs). In general, the tighter the building envelope, the higher the concentrations of pollutants measured.…”

Section: Effects Of the Revitalization Of The Building Envelope On Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Indoor Microclimate of Prefabricated Buildings for Housing: Interaction of Environmental and Construction Measures

et al. 2020

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The current knowledge shows that the interior microclimate of residential buildings that were constructed between 1950 and 1990 using panel construction, not only in the Czech Republic but also in Europe, and were renovated in accordance with applicable legislation related to thermal comfort and energy is significantly affected by gaseous pollutants. At increased concentrations and exposure times, these pollutants negatively affect the interior microclimate and at the same time have a negative effect on the health of users. After the implementation of remediation measures, which are mainly focused on improving the thermal technical parameters of the building envelope, the concentration of CO2 in the indoor environment increases. Carbon dioxide is one of the most important active factors and in terms of the quality of the interior microclimate, it is considered a reliable indicator of whether the interior microclimate can be considered a healthy and favorable environment. It is thus clear that the set and de facto systematized measures in the renovation of the housing stock from the second half of the 20th century has led to energy savings on the one hand, but on the other hand, this has contributed to the hygienic damage of housing units and an unhealthy interior microclimate. The paper aims to define the interaction of interdisciplinary contexts that have led to an increase in the indoor air quality (IAQ) of renovated residential panel buildings.

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Identification of potential indoor air pollutants in schools

Cited by 103 publications

References 19 publications

Indoor Air Quality Assessment: Comparison of Ventilation Scenarios for Retrofitting Classrooms in a Hot Climate

Indoor Air Quality Assessment: Comparison of Ventilation Scenarios for Retrofitting Classrooms in a Hot Climate

Indoor Air Quality Improvement Using Nature-Based Solutions: Design Proposals to Greener Cities

The Indoor Microclimate of Prefabricated Buildings for Housing: Interaction of Environmental and Construction Measures

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