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Assessment of ventilation and indoor air pollutants in nursery and elementary schools in France
Author(s) -
Canha N.,
Mandin C.,
Ramalho O.,
Wyart G.,
Ribéron J.,
Dassonville C.,
Hänninen O.,
Almeida S. M.,
Derbez M.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
indoor air
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.387
H-Index - 99
eISSN - 1600-0668
pISSN - 0905-6947
DOI - 10.1111/ina.12222
Subject(s) - ventilation (architecture) , indoor air quality , pollutant , environmental science , indoor air , environmental engineering , air pollutants , waste management , air pollution , engineering , geography , meteorology , ecology , biology
The aim of this study was to characterize the relationship between Indoor Air Quality ( IAQ ) and ventilation in French classrooms. Various parameters were measured over one school week, including volatile organic compounds, aldehydes, particulate matter ( PM 2.5 mass concentration and number concentration), carbon dioxide ( CO 2 ), air temperature, and relative humidity in 51 classrooms at 17 schools. The ventilation was characterized by several indicators, such as the air exchange rate, ventilation rate ( VR ), and air stuffiness index ( ICONE ), that are linked to indoor CO 2 concentration. The influences of the season (heating or non‐heating), type of school (nursery or elementary), and ventilation on the IAQ were studied. Based on the minimum value of 4.2 l/s per person required by the French legislation for mechanically ventilated classrooms, 91% of the classrooms had insufficient ventilation. The VR was significantly higher in mechanically ventilated classrooms compared with naturally ventilated rooms. The correlations between IAQ and ventilation vary according to the location of the primary source of each pollutant (outdoor vs . indoor), and for an indoor source, whether it is associated with occupant activity or continuous emission.