부산대학교 도서관

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]