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Indoor air quality and the associated health risk in primary school buildings in Central Europe – The InAirQ study
Author(s) -
Szabados Máté,
Csákó Zsófia,
Kotlík Bohumil,
Kazmarová Helena,
Kozajda Anna,
Jutraz Anja,
Kukec Andreja,
Otorepec Peter,
Dongiovanni Arianna,
Di Maggio Andrea,
Fraire Stefano,
Szigeti Tamás
Publication year - 2021
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.12802
Subject(s) - indoor air quality , environmental health , environmental science , hazard quotient , health risk , radon , air quality index , toxicology , environmental engineering , medicine , geography , meteorology , biology , physics , quantum mechanics
The indoor air quality (IAQ) was investigated in sixty‐four primary school buildings in five Central European countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Poland, and Slovenia). The concentration of volatile organic compounds, aldehydes, PM 2.5 mass, carbon dioxide, radon, as well as physical parameters were investigated during the heating period of 2017/2018. Significant differences were identified for the majority of the investigated IAQ parameters across the countries. The median indoor/outdoor ratios varied considerably. A comprehensive evaluation of IAQ in terms of potential health effects and comfort perception was performed. Hazard quotient values were below the threshold value of 1 with one exception. In contrast, 31% of the school buildings were characterized by hazard index values higher than 1. The maximum cumulative ratio approach highlighted that the concern for non‐carcinogenic health effects was either low or the health risk was driven by more substances. The median excess lifetime cancer risk values exceeded the acceptable value of 1 × 10 −6 in the case of radon and formaldehyde. PM 2.5 mass concentration values exceeded the 24 h and annual guideline values set by the World Health Organization in 56 and 85% of the cases, respectively. About 80% of the schools could not manage to comply with the recommended concentration value for carbon dioxide (1000 ppm).