Indoor Air Quality and Sources in Schools and Related Health Effects

Abstract

Good indoor air quality in schools is important to provide a safe, healthy, productive, and comfortable environment for students, teachers, and other school staff. However, existing studies demonstrated that various air pollutants are found in classrooms, sometimes at elevated concentrations. Data also indicated that poor air quality may impact children's health, in particular respiratory health, attendance, and academic performance. Nevertheless, it should be noted that there are other adverse health effects that are less documented. Few data exist for teachers and other adults that work in schools. Allergic individuals seem to be at a higher risk for adverse respiratory health consequences. Air quality improvement represents an important measure for prevention of adverse health consequences in children and adults in schools.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the SINPHONIE partners and in particular the SINPHONIE coordinators: Dr. Éva Csobod, REC (Hungary), Prof. Eduardo de Oliveira Fernandes, IDMEC-FEUP (Portugal), Dr. Stylianos Kephalopoulos, JRC (European Commission), and Dr. Péter Rudnai, NIEH (Hungary). The SINPHONIE project was funded by the European Parliament and run by European Commission Health and Consumer Protection DG.