Association between substandard classroom ventilation rates and students’ academic achievement

Abstract

The results of this study suggest that increasing the ventilation rates toward recommended guideline ventilation rates in classrooms should translate into improved academic achievement of students. More studies are needed to fully understand the relationships between ventilation rate, other indoor environmental quality parameters, and their effects on students' health and achievement. Achieving the recommended guidelines and pursuing better understanding of the underlying relationships would ultimately support both sustainable and productive school environments for students and personnel.

Human responses to carbon dioxide, a follow-up study at recommended exposure limits in non-industrial environments

“…Many studies have used CO 2 as a marker for exposure levels indoors and for ventilation efficiency, and examined the relationship between measured concentrations of CO 2 and subjectively assessed acute health symptoms (e.g., Seppänen et al, 1999;Apte et al, 2000;Erdmann et al, 2002), impairment in cognitive performance (e.g., Myhrvold et al, 1996;Myhrvold and Olesen, 1997;Coley et al, 2004;Bakó-Biró et al, 2008;Haverinen-Shaughnessy et al, 2011;Wargocki and Wyon, 2013) and absence rates (e.g., Milton et al, 2000;Mendell et al, 2013). In all of these studies, none of the observed effects were attributed to CO 2 .…”

Energy in buildings—Policy, materials and solutions

“…Even a fifth grade student's academic achievement could be correlated to ventilation rates. 75 In conclusion, proper ventilation of buildings is of crucial importance. Not only energy savings but also comfort, performance, and health needs are to be considered when designing ventilation systems and settings.…”

Otimização Do Conforto Ambiental No Espaço Escolar: Uma Visão Sustentável

“…O desconforto térmico pode estar associado, ainda, ao estresse físico (estresse térmico), ocasionando doenças 12 . Do mesmo modo, a ventilação de um ambiente também desempenha um papel importante na manutenção do conforto térmico e na qualidade do ar interno 13,14 . Durante o verão, em situações em que as temperaturas exteriores são mais baixas do que as temperaturas de um ambiente interno, a ventilação pode remover o excesso da carga de calor produzida pela radiação solar incidente e pelas fontes internas, deixando o ambiente com uma temperatura mais adequada, além de facilitar as trocas térmicas por convecção entre o corpo humano e o ar circundante.…”