Environmental quality in sixty primary and secondary school classrooms in London

Abstract

Poor environmental quality in school classrooms can have a detrimental impact on children's health, nevertheless, the association between air pollutants and physical features of classrooms is poorly understood. We monitored particulate matter (PM), carbon dioxide (CO2) and thermal comfort in sixty classrooms across ten London primary and secondary schools using similar equipment to produce a comparable dataset. The overall research objective was to understand the association of classroom air quality with occupancy levels, floor types, classroom locations, classroom volume, ventilation types and different year groups. Average in-classroom PM10 (29 ± 20), PM2.5 (10 ± 2) and PM1 (5 ± 2 μg m-3) during occupied hours were ∼150 % (PM10) and 110 % (PM2.5) higher compared to non-occupied hours. PM10 concentration was reduced by 30 % for dual (mechanical + natural) compared to natural ventilation only; the corresponding reduction was slightly lower for PM2.5 (28 %) and PM1 (20 %). PM10 almost doubled for wooden floored classrooms compared with those having carpets. During high occupancy (>26 occupants), the average CO2 (935 ± 453 ppm) was ∼140 % higher than non-occupancy. The average CO2 in classrooms occupied by younger children (reception and year one) was ∼190 % higher than those with older children (years eight and nine). 68 % of classrooms exceeded the minimum recommended levels of 40 % relative humidity. Low PM10 concentrations coincided with low CO2 concentrations in classrooms across all schools. These findings highlight the importance of simultaneously addressing both thermal comfort and the resuspension of PM10 to achieve comprehensive improvements in classroom air quality. Classroom settings where indoor environment is likely to be compromised can also be identified and addressed.