High carbon dioxide concentrations in the classroom: the need for research on the effects of children's exposure to poor indoor air quality at school.

摘要

Air quality and its effect on health have received recent attention from the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee. While outdoor air pollution is clearly important and contributes to indoor air quality, indoor air pollution sources and the time spent in indoor environments are key to understanding exposure. Children in the UK spend an average of 6-7 h a day inside the school classroom during most weekdays, yet there is very little data on air quality within these environments in the UK. The Health Effects of the School Environment study found poor ventilation, high presence of particulate matter, moulds and allergens to be associated with an increase in respiratory diseases in schoolchildren throughout Europe. Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations are a good marker of ventilation, with a recommended limit of 1500 ppm averaged over the school day. Increased CO_2 concentrations will generally indicate raised concentrations of a range of other air pollutants such as volatile organic compounds, fine particulate matter and biological contaminants. We report here on a small study of CO_2 concentrations in six schools in Aberdeen city measured in spring 2009.