Particulate Matter and Influencing Factors in Domestic Elementary Schools

Abstract

Children spend a lot of time of day in school and are more sensitive to contamination of indoor air than adults. This study reviewed the level of particulate matter (PM) and influencing factors in elementary schools in Korea (e.g., occupant density, classroom type, sampling height, building year and indoor and outdoor environment factors) and suggested methods and future research directions to reduce particulate matter. To this end, we reviewed domestic and international papers published since 2006. As a result, a coarse particle in a classroom (PM2.5 - PM10) is mainly formed by internal sources, whereas PM2.5 (PM <2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter) is caused by external sources. The number and activities of student in a classroom were positively correlated with PM10 (PM <10 µm in aerodynamic diameter) levels, but PM2.5 levels did not show a clear tendency. We found that general classrooms have a slightly higher PM concentration than the special rooms (computer room and laboratory). In addition, some studies showed that the humidity and CO2 in the classroom had a positive correlation with PM2.5. In addition, PM2.5 was found to be more affected by the air quality around the school than PM10. When compared previous studies measured at school-related facilities in Korea to date, the concentrations of PM10 were mostly satisfied with the criteria at the time of measurement. However, when compared with the newly revised concentration of “School Health Act” (75 µg/m3), a significant number of schools were found to exceed the standard. Therefore, measures to improve indoor air quality in schools are urgently needed.