Search

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 CO2were predominantly higher at the end of school day compared to early morning periods. The TVOC and CO2concentrations were higher indoors than outdoors suggesting predominantly an indoor origin. Outdoor air infiltrations were the major contributing source of CO and O3to 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/m3proposed by European Commission. The levels of CO2were 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 O3concentrations, while RH values were significantly correlated with TVOC levels in indoor air of preschools, particularly during the late afternoon periods. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The aim of this study was to determine levels and risks due to inhalation exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in different educational settings, namely for 3- to 5- year-old and 6- to 10-year-old children. Eighteen PAH (16 priority designated by US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and dibenzo[a,l]pyrene and benzo[j]fluoranthene) were simultaneously collected in indoor and outdoor air at two Portuguese preschools (PS1–PS2) and five elementary schools (ES1–ES5) from March to May 2014. Indoor concentrations at PS and ES were significantly different, with total levels (∑PAHs) 0.721–15.9 ng/m3at PS1–PS2 and 5.03–23.6 ng/m3at ES1–ES5. The corresponding outdoor concentrations were, respectively, 1.22–32.7 ng/m3and 2.6–31.5 ng/m3. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with 2–3 aromatic rings were predominantly emitted by indoor sources, while compounds with 4–6 aromatic rings were mainly generated by infiltration of ambient PAH pollution to indoors. Excess lifetime risks of lung cancer exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) designated guideline of 10–5in both types of schools (15–42-fold at PS; 15–52-fold at ES). However, total (sum of indoor and outdoor exposure) incremental lifetime cancer risks (ILCR) were below the USEPA level of 10–6at all studied institutions and thus considered negligible. Finally, ILCR due to indoor exposure represented 60–75% and 70–85% of the total ILCR at PS and ES, respectively, thus indicating the need for development and implementation of indoor air quality guidelines in educations settings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]