Assessment of indoor air quality and risk of COVID-19 infection in Spanish secondary school and university classrooms

Rodrı́guez, Diana; Urbieta, Itziar R.; Velasco, Ángel; Campano, Miguel Ángel; Jiménez, Elena

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109717

Cited by 27 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…This can be implemented using mechanical ventilation, for example, using HVAC systems, or by NV with windows and doors [ 66 ]. Our literature search confirms earlier findings that mechanically ventilated classrooms have significantly higher ventilation rates than naturally ventilated ones [ 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 ]. Thus, we also conclude that classrooms should be equipped with an MV system, since mechanically ventilated classrooms appear to have lower, more stable mean CO 2 concentrations than naturally ventilated ones.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Nevertheless, even this step was sometimes not adequate to keep CO 2 concentrations below 1000 ppm permanently, especially when individuals were present in the room during the ventilation period [ 39 ]. As shown in other studies [ 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 ], CO 2 concentrations in classrooms with mechanical ventilation were lower than in those naturally ventilated. For example, Vassella et al found the median CO 2 concentration in MV classrooms was 686–1320 ppm, whereas in NV classrooms it was 862–2898 ppm [ 38 ].…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 69%

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The Influence of Ventilation Measures on the Airborne Risk of Infection in Schools: A Scoping Review

Jendrossek

Jurk²,

Remmers³

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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Objectives: To review the risk of airborne infections in schools and evaluate the effect of intervention measures reported in field studies. Background: Schools are part of a country’s critical infrastructure. Good infection prevention measures are essential for reducing the risk of infection in schools as much as possible, since these are places where many individuals spend a great deal of time together every weekday in a small area where airborne pathogens can spread quickly. Appropriate ventilation can reduce the indoor concentration of airborne pathogens and reduce the risk of infection. Methods: A systematic search of the literature was conducted in the databases Embase, MEDLINE, and ScienceDirect using keywords such as school, classroom, ventilation, carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration, SARS-CoV-2, and airborne transmission. The primary endpoint of the studies selected was the risk of airborne infection or CO2 concentration as a surrogate parameter. Studies were grouped according to the study type. Results: We identified 30 studies that met the inclusion criteria, six of them intervention studies. When specific ventilation strategies were lacking in schools being investigated, CO2 concentrations were often above the recommended maximum values. Improving ventilation lowered the CO2 concentration, resulting in a lower risk of airborne infections. Conclusions: The ventilation in many schools is not adequate to guarantee good indoor air quality. Ventilation is an important measure for reducing the risk of airborne infections in schools. The most important effect is to reduce the time of residence of pathogens in the classrooms.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 69%

The Influence of Ventilation Measures on the Airborne Risk of Infection in Schools: A Scoping Review

Jendrossek

Jurk²,

Remmers³

et al. 2023

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Based on the current study of building energy consumption during the aforementioned epidemic, it was shown that the most significant reduction in energy consumption was seen in primary and secondary school buildings [25] . Perhaps because the education industry is generally a congregation of students and teachers, the impact during the New Coronavirus was more pronounced.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of the COVID-19 on electricity consumption of open university campus buildings – The case of Twente University in the Netherlands

Cheng

Huang

et al. 2023

Energy and Buildings

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“…34 Moreover, more researchers insist that carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) can reflect the trend of bioaerosol concentration, and strongly recommend that CO 2 concentration be used for infection risk-based monitoring. 35–39…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prediction models of bioaerosols inside office buildings: A field study investigation

Jiang

Gong

et al. 2023

Building Services Engineering Research and Technology

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Bioaerosols formed by microorganisms in the air directly affect people’s health. The air quality in an office building in Shenzhen, China, is investigated and pollutant levels measured on 36 occasions; six times for each of six indoor spaces. A relationship between indoor bioaerosols and environmental factors was determined using both linear regression analysis and Poisson regression analysis. Our results and analysis indicate that linear regression is a poor predictor for the concentration of bioaerosols based on a single indicator. In contrast, Poisson regression can better predict the concentration of bioaerosols, and PM10 may be the indicator with the greatest impact on bioaerosols. As a result, a simple, fast, and low-cost online monitoring method for monitoring indoor bioaerosols is developed and reported. Our paper provides first-hand basic data to predict the indoor bioaerosol concentration and helps to formulate appropriate monitoring guidelines. The proposed method offers more practical values compared to existing studies as our prediction model facilitates estimation of the concentration of bioaerosols at low cost. Additionally, due to the current maturity and low cost of indoor environmental sensors, the proposed method is suitable for large-scale deployment for most buildings. Practical application Based on measurement data from a real office building, our investigation explores the relationship between indoor microorganisms and building environmental indicators through a combination of probability analysis and actual measurement. We establish a novel indoor microbial prediction model using the Poisson regression model. Our work presents an effective, low-cost, method for estimating the concentration of bioaerosols and discusses the possibility for large-scale deployment of microbial monitoring equipment inside buildings which may then support real-time monitoring of indoor microbial concentration to provide healthy indoor environments for personnel.

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Assessment of indoor air quality and risk of COVID-19 infection in Spanish secondary school and university classrooms

Cited by 27 publications

References 94 publications

The Influence of Ventilation Measures on the Airborne Risk of Infection in Schools: A Scoping Review

The Influence of Ventilation Measures on the Airborne Risk of Infection in Schools: A Scoping Review

Impact of the COVID-19 on electricity consumption of open university campus buildings – The case of Twente University in the Netherlands

Prediction models of bioaerosols inside office buildings: A field study investigation

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