Influence of combined dust reducing carpet and compact air filtration unit on the indoor air quality of a classroom
Publication year
2015Source
Environmental Science-Processes & Impacts, 17, 2, (2015), pp. 316-325ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor

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Organization
Health Evidence
Pharmacology-Toxicology
Journal title
Environmental Science-Processes & Impacts
Volume
vol. 17
Issue
iss. 2
Page start
p. 316
Page end
p. 325
Subject
Radboudumc 0: Other Research RIHS: Radboud Institute for Health SciencesAbstract
Primary schools mostly rely on natural ventilation but also have an interest in affordable technology to improve indoor air quality (IAQ). Laboratory tests show promising results for dust reducing carpets and compact air filtration systems but there is no information available on the performance of these interventions in actual operating classrooms. An exploratory study was performed to evaluate a combination of the two systems in a primary school. Measurements of PM-10 and PM-2.5 were performed by filter sampling and aerosol spectrometry. Other IAQ parameters included black smoke (BS), volatile organic compounds (VOC), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and formaldehyde. Both interventions were introduced in one classroom during one week, using another classroom as a reference. In a second week the interventions were moved to the other classroom, using the first as a reference (cross-over design). In three remaining weeks the classrooms were compared without interventions. Indoor IAQ parameters were compared to the corresponding outdoor parameters using the indoor/outdoor (I/O) ratio. When the classrooms were occupied (teaching hours) interventions resulted in 27-43% reductions of PM-10, PM-2.5 and BS values. During the weekends the systems reduced these levels by 51-87%. Evaluations using the change in I/O ratios gave comparable results. Levels of VOC, NO2 and formaldehyde were rather low and a contribution of the interventions to the improvement of these gas phase IAQ parameters was inconclusive.
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Academic publications [204951]
- Faculty of Medical Sciences [81049]
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