scholarly journals The Adverse Associations of Classrooms’ Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort Conditions on Students’ Illness Related Absenteeism between Heating and Non-Heating Seasons—A Pilot Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1500
Author(s):  
Shihan Deng ◽  
Bin Zou ◽  
Josephine Lau
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Negative Binomial Regression ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Negative Binomial Regression Model ◽  
Heating Season ◽  
Related Absenteeism

(1) The association of the indoor environmental conditions in classrooms with illness-related absenteeism (IRA) was not well investigated. In addition, studying the association between heating and non-heating seasons were very limited; (2) To fill this knowledge gap, a research team collected various indoor air quality (IAQ) and thermal comfort conditions (TC) of 85 elementary classrooms in two school districts from the Midwestern United States throughout an academic year; in total, 255 classroom visits were performed. A negative binomial regression model was implied to associate the classroom’s IAQ and TC with IRA, separating for heating and non-heating seasons; (3) During non-heating season, a 3% increase of IRA was estimated with 1,000,000-counts/L increase of particles that had a diameter less than 2.5 μm (PN2.5); during the heating season, a 3% increase of IRA were expected with 100 ppm increase of room averaged CO2 concentration; and (4) These results suggested that the IAQ and TC factors could associated with IRA differently between heating and non-heating seasons.

scholarly journals Keeping Doors Closed as One Reason for Fatigue in Teenagers—A Case Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (17) ◽  
pp. 3533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Mainka ◽  
Elwira Zajusz-Zubek
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Sleep Questionnaire ◽  
Opening And Closing ◽  
Sleep Satisfaction

(1) Background: Healthy teenagers are often sleepy. This can be explained by their physiology and behavioral changes; however, the influence of CO2 concentration above 1000 ppm should not be neglected with respect to sleep dissatisfaction. (2) Methods: CO2 concentrations were measured in two similar bedrooms occupied by girls aged 9 and 13 years old. The scheme of measurements included random opening and closing of the bedroom doors for the night. Additionally, the girls evaluated their sleep satisfaction in a post-sleep questionnaire. (3) Results: During the night, the CO2 concentration varied from 402 to 3320 ppm in the teenager’s bedroom and from 458 to 2176 ppm in the child’s bedroom. When the bedroom doors were open, inadequate indoor air quality (IEQIII and IEQIV categories) was observed in both the teenager’s and child’s bedroom during 11% and 25% of the night, respectively; however, closing the doors increased the contribution of moderate (IEQIII) and low (IEQIV) categories of air to 79% and 86%, respectively. The girls were dissatisfied only when the bedroom door was closed. The satisfied category of sleep was selected only by the younger girl. (4) Conclusions: Opening the bedroom door during the night can decrease the CO2 concentration 55–64% without reducing thermal comfort.

scholarly journals The Indoor Air Quality in Laboratory Buildings. A Case Study in Integrated Laboratory of UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Widya Nilandita ◽  
Ida Munfarida ◽  
M Ratodi ◽  
Dyah Ratri Nurmaningsih ◽  
Dedy Suprayogi
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is one of the critical issues in sustainable development related to human health as the primary goal. Sustainable development should address potential human exposure to pollutants and health impacts. The laboratory, as educational support in the university, has specific contaminants, but studies on IAQ and thermal comfort in the laboratory have not been studied. IAQ and thermal comfort in a laboratory are essential as they can affect the work and health of the researchers and staffs. The purpose of this study is to analyze indoor air quality in an integrated laboratory of UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya. This research is a cross-sectional study. Data analysis was done by a quantitative descriptive method. The air quality parameters in the laboratory were temperature, relative humidity, and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration. All settings compared to the air quality standard. The analysis on carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration, relative humidity (%RH), temperature (∘C) has shown that the indoor air does not exceed the standard according to ASHRAE standard and Health Ministry Regulation with the maximum concentration was 444,3 ppm. The fan installation and increased air filter to controlled humidity are the option to improve the indoor air quality.

scholarly journals Effects of Climatic Conditions, Season and Environmental Factors on CO2 Concentrations in Naturally Ventilated Primary Schools in Chile

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4139
Author(s):  
Muriel Diaz ◽  
Mario Cools ◽  
Maureen Trebilcock ◽  
Beatriz Piderit-Moreno ◽  
Shady Attia
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Co2 Concentrations ◽  
The Impact

Between the ages of 6 and 18, children spend between 30 and 42 h a week at school, mostly indoors, where indoor environmental quality is usually deficient and does not favor learning. The difficulty of delivering indoor air quality (IAQ) in learning facilities is related to high occupancy rates and low interaction levels with windows. In non-industrialized countries, as in the cases presented, most classrooms have no mechanical ventilation, due to energy poverty and lack of normative requirements. This fact heavily impacts the indoor air quality and students’ learning outcomes. The aim of the paper is to identify the factors that determine acceptable CO2 concentrations. Therefore, it studies air quality in free-running and naturally ventilated primary schools in Chile, aiming to identify the impact of contextual, occupant, and building design factors, using CO2 concentration as a proxy for IAQ. The monitoring of CO2, temperature, and humidity revealed that indoor air CO2 concentration is above 1400 ppm most of the time, with peaks of 5000 ppm during the day, especially in winter. The statistical analysis indicates that CO2 is dependent on climate, seasonality, and indoor temperature, while it is independent of outside temperature in heated classrooms. The odds of having acceptable concentrations of CO2 are bigger when indoor temperatures are high, and there is a need to ventilate for cooling.

The Potential of Natural Ventilation in Single-Sided Ventilated Apartment to Improve Indoor Thermal Comfort and Air Quality

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. F. Mohamed ◽  
M. Behnia ◽  
S. King ◽  
D. Prasad
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Architectural Element ◽  
Flat Design ◽  
Effective Ventilation ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Ventilation Performance

Cross ventilation is a more effective ventilation strategy in comparison to single-sided ventilation. In the NSW Residential Flat Design Code1 (RFDC) the majority of apartments are required to adopt cross ventilation. However, in the case of studio and one-bedroom apartments, it is acknowledged that single-sided ventilation may prevail. Deep plan studio and one-bedroom apartments may achieve lower amenity of summer thermal comfort and indoor air quality where mechanical ventilation is not provided by air conditioning. Since compliance with the code may allow up to 40% of apartments in a development in Sydney to be single sided, it is important to understand the natural ventilation performance of such apartments. The objective of this paper is to investigate the natural ventilation potential in single-sided ventilated apartments to improve indoor air quality and thermal comfort. This investigation includes simulating various facade treatments involving multiple opening and balcony configurations. Balcony configurations are included in this study because, in Sydney, a balcony is a compulsory architectural element in any apartment building. The study uses computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software to simulate and predict the ventilation performance of each apartment configuration. This study suggests that properly configured balconies and openings can significantly improve indoor ventilation performance for enhanced indoor air quality and thermal comfort, by optimizing the available prevailing wind. However, it is important to note that inappropriately designed fac¸ade treatments also could diminish natural ventilation performance.

Human Thermal Comfort and Indoor Air Quality

2016 ◽  
pp. 67-98
Author(s):  
T. Agami Reddy ◽  
Jan F. Kreider ◽  
Peter S. Curtiss ◽  
Ari Rabl
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Human Thermal Comfort

scholarly journals Energy Production in Solar Collectors in a University Building Used to Improve the Internal Thermal Conditions in Winter Conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 246 ◽  
pp. 03005
Author(s):  
Eusébio Conceição ◽  
João Gomes ◽  
Mª Manuela Lúcio ◽  
Hazim Awbi
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
Solar Collectors ◽  
Transient Conditions ◽  
Winter Conditions

In this numerical study the energy production in solar collectors in a University building used to improve the internal thermal conditions is made. Passive and active solutions, using external solar collector and internal thermo-convectors, are used. The numerical simulation, in transient conditions, is done for a winter typical day with clean sky. This numerical study was carried out using a software that simulates the Building Dynamic Response with complex topology in transient conditions. The software evaluates the human thermal comfort and indoor air quality levels that the occupants are subjected, Heated Ventilation and Air Conditioned energy consumption, indoor thermal variables and other parameters. The university building has 107 compartments and is located in a Mediterranean-type environment. External solar water collectors, placed above the building’s roof, and internal thermo-convectors of water/air type, using mixing ventilation, are used as passive and active strategies, respectively. The thermal comfort level, using the Predicted Mean Vote index, and the indoor air quality, using the carbon dioxide concentration, are evaluated. The results show that in winter conditions the solar collectors improve the thermal comfort conditions of the occupants. The indoor air quality, in all ventilated spaces, is also guaranteed.

scholarly journals Mitigation Strategies for Overheating and High Carbon Dioxide Concentration within Institutional Buildings: A Case Study in Toronto, Canada

Buildings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Tam ◽  
Yuqing Zhao ◽  
Zaiyi Liao ◽  
Lian Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Indoor Environment ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Hvac System

Indoor air quality and thermal conditions are important considerations when designing indoor spaces to ensure occupant health, satisfaction, and productivity. Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration and indoor air temperature are two measurable parameters to assess air quality and thermal conditions within a space. Occupants are progressively affected by the indoor environment as the time spent indoors prolongs. Specifically, there is an interest in carrying out investigations on the indoor environment through surveying existing Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC) system operations in classrooms. Indoor air temperature and CO2 concentration in multiple lecture halls in Toronto, Canada were monitored; observations consistently show high indoor air temperature (overheating) and high CO2 concentration. One classroom is chosen as a representative case study for this paper. The results verify a strong correlation between the number of occupants and the increase in air temperature and CO2 concentration. Building Energy Simulation (BES) is used to investigate the causes of discomfort in the classroom, and to identify methods for regulating the temperature and CO2 concentration. This paper proposes retro-commissioning strategies that could be implemented in institutional buildings; specifically, the increase of outdoor airflow rate and the addition of occupancy-based pre-active HVAC system control. The proposed retrofit cases reduce the measured overheating in the classrooms by 2-3 °C (indoor temperature should be below 23 °C) and maintain CO2 concentration under 900 ppm (the CO2 threshold is 1000 ppm), showing promising improvements to a classroom’s thermal condition and indoor air quality.

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