Impact of CO2 concentration on indoor air quality and correlation with relative humidity and indoor air temperature in school buildings in Serbia

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that poorly ventilated classrooms can have negative impact on the health of children and school staff. In most cases, schools in Serbia are ventilated naturally. Considering their high occupancy, classroom air quality test determines the level of air pollution, after which it is possible to implement corrective measures. The research presented in this study was conducted in four schools which are located in different areas and have different architecture designs. Measurements in these schools have been performed during the winter (heating season) and spring (non-heating season) and the following results were presented: indoor air temperature, relative humidity and carbon dioxide concentration. These results show that the classroom average concentration of carbon dioxide often exceeds the value of 1500 ppm, during its full occupancy, which indicates inadequate ventilation. Measurement campaigns show that carbon dioxide concentration increased significantly from non-heating to heating season in three of the four schools. Analysis of measurements also determined high correlation between relative humidity and carbon dioxide concentration in all schools in winter season. This fact may constitute a solid basis for the fresh air supply strategy. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III42008: SINPHONIE - Schools Indoor Pollution and Health: Observatory Network in Europe]

Assessment of indoor levels of volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide in schools in Kuwait

“…The present results are consistent with those of Al-Rashidi et al (2012) and Al-Hubail and Al-Temeemi (2015) regarding CO 2 levels, although in the present work, various hot spots in each school were identified for remediation purposes. CO 2 levels in schools are in concordance with Lazovic et al (2016) for heating season (winter) during low-ventilation practice. The maximum allowed concentration expressed as an 8-hr weighted average during occupational exposure is 5000 ppm (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health [NIOSH], 2007).…”

“…Cornaro et al (2011) have discussed indoor CO 2 levels as a measure of effectiveness natural trickle ventilation in middle school in Italy and concluded that further assistance was required to achieve adequate air quality for the occupants. Lazovic et al (2016) have reported impact of CO 2 concentration on IAQ and correlation with temperature and relative humidity in schools in Serbia. Their results showed variability of CO 2 levels as indicative of different ventilation rate for heating season (winter) and nonheating seasons (spring).…”

Dataset of short-term prediction of CO2 concentration based on a wireless sensor network

“…Li, et al. analyzed the concentration of CO 2 in different altitudes in the atmosphere [15] . To do this, the authors attached a CO 2 sensor on an air balloon.…”

Co₂ Field Evaluation Of Natural Ventilation Classroom In Refurbished Preschool

“…Children's respiratory and immune systems are weaker than adult which made them more sensitive to environmental exposure (Oliveira, Slezakova, Delerue-Matos, Pereira, & Morais, 2016). There are several sources that influence the CO₂ concentration such as equipment of ventilation, furniture, human factors (breathing) and activities ( number of pupils in the classroom, class duration, break time) (Lazovic, Stevanovic, & Zivkovic, 2015). Nevertheless, when the classroom experiences full occupancy, the carbon dioxide concentration often exceeds 1500 ppm (Cichowicz et al, 2015).…”

“…However, it is known that the indoor CO₂ concentration level should not exceeds 1000 ppm as compliance with ASHRAE and ICOP (ICOP, 2010;Salleh, Kamaruzzaman, Riley, Zawawi, & Sulaiman, 2015). Lazovic, Stevanovic, and Zivkovic, (2015) mentioned that the CO₂ concentration acts as an indicator in IAQ. Besides, the CO₂ concentration distribution is affected by the type of ventilation strategy (Mahyuddin & Awbi, 2012).…”