Indoor air quality in preschools (3- to 5-year-old children) in the Northeast of Portugal during spring–summer season: pollutants and comfort parameters

ABSTRACT

Indoor air quality at schools (elementary, primary) has been the subject of many studies; however, there are still relative few data regarding preschool (3- to 5-year-old children) environments. This investigation determined the concentrations of particulate matter (PM)_2.5, total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), formaldehyde, carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O₃) as well as the levels of carbon dioxide (CO₂), temperature, and relative humidity (RH) in the indoor and outdoor air of two preschools situated in different geographical regions of Portugal. The indoor concentrations of TVOC, CO, O₃, and CO₂ were predominantly higher at the end of school day compared to early morning periods. The TVOC and CO₂ concentrations were higher indoors than outdoors suggesting predominantly an indoor origin. Outdoor air infiltrations were the major contributing source of CO and O₃ to indoor air in both preschools. The concentrations of all pollutants were within the limits defined by national regulations and international organizations, except for TVOC that exceeded 8–12-fold higher than the recommendation of 0.2 mg/m³ proposed by European Commission. The levels of CO₂ were below the protective guideline of 2250 mg/m³ (Portuguese legislation); however, the observed ranges exceeded the Portuguese margin of tolerance (2925 mg/m³) at the end of school days, indicating the impact of occupancy rates particularly at one of the preschools. Regarding comfort parameters, temperature exerted a significant influence on O₃ concentrations, while RH values were significantly correlated with TVOC levels in indoor air of preschools, particularly during the late afternoon periods.

Funding

This work was supported by European Union (FEDER funds through COMPETE) and National Funds (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, FCT) through projects UID/QUI/50006/2013, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007265, and POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006939, by the FCT/MEC with national funds and co-funded by FEDER in the scope of the P2020 Partnership Agreement. Additional financial support was provided by FCT through the fellowships SFRH/BD/80113/2011 and SFRH/BPD/105100/2014.

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Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by European Union (FEDER funds through COMPETE) and National Funds (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, FCT) through projects UID/QUI/50006/2013, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007265, and POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006939, by the FCT/MEC with national funds and co-funded by FEDER in the scope of the P2020 Partnership Agreement. Additional financial support was provided by FCT through the fellowships SFRH/BD/80113/2011 and SFRH/BPD/105100/2014.