Indoor Air Quality and Human Health Risk Assessment in the Open-Air Classroom

Indoor air quality is associated with academic performance and harmful health effects on students and teachers who participate in the classroom. Outdoor sources always contribute to classroom air quality. This study aims to estimate the amounts of indoor and outdoor pollutants and the influence of outdoor sources on open-air classrooms in a school located in the city. A health risk assessment was applied to assess the non-carcinogenic risk to students and teachers from exposure to the pollutants in the classroom. The concentrations of indoor NO2 ranged between 46.40 and 77.83 µg/m3, which is about 0.8 times that of outdoor NO2. A strong correlation and a high indoor/outdoor (I/O) ratio (>0.5) without a source, indicated that indoor NO2 is significantly influenced by outdoor sources. The range of indoor PM2.5 concentrations was 1.66 to 31.52 µg/m3 which was influenced by meteorological conditions. The indoor PM2.5 concentrations were affected by both indoor and outdoor sources. Although the level of indoor air pollutants met the official standard, the young children were exposed to indoor air pollutants which were above the recommended limits to human health with regard to the hazard index (HI) of 1.12. Instant measures such as regularly cleaning the classrooms, zoning the students, and installation of solid and vegetation barriers are recommended to reduce the daily dose of pollutants affecting students in open-air classrooms.

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Development of an indoor air quality checklist for risk assessment of indoor air pollutants by semiquantitative score in nonindustrial workplaces

Risk Management and Healthcare Policy ◽

10.2147/rmhp.s26567 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 17 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Aizat Syazwan ◽

Rafee ◽

Shaharuddin ◽

Hafizan Juahir ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Air Quality ◽

Indoor Air Quality ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Indoor Air Pollutants ◽

Quality Checklist

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Current State of Indoor Air Phytoremediation Using Potted Plants and Green Walls

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12040473 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 473

Author(s):

Samaneh Bandehali ◽

Taghi Miri ◽

Helen Onyeaka ◽

Prashant Kumar

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Particulate Matter ◽

Air Quality ◽

Indoor Air Quality ◽

Human Health ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Potted Plants ◽

Green Walls ◽

Indoor Air Pollutants

Urban civilization has a high impact on the environment and human health. The pollution level of indoor air can be 2–5 times higher than the outdoor air pollution, and sometimes it reaches up to 100 times or more in natural/mechanical ventilated buildings. Even though people spend about 90% of their time indoors, the importance of indoor air quality is less noticed. Indoor air pollution can be treated with techniques such as chemical purification, ventilation, isolation, and removing pollutions by plants (phytoremediation). Among these techniques, phytoremediation is not given proper attention and, therefore, is the focus of our review paper. Phytoremediation is an affordable and more environmentally friendly means to purify polluted indoor air. Furthermore, studies show that indoor plants can be used to regulate building temperature, decrease noise levels, and alleviate social stress. Sources of indoor air pollutants and their impact on human health are briefly discussed in this paper. The available literature on phytoremediation, including experimental works for removing volatile organic compound (VOC) and particulate matter from the indoor air and associated challenges and opportunities, are reviewed. Phytoremediation of indoor air depends on the physical properties of plants such as interfacial areas, the moisture content, and the type (hydrophobicity) as well as pollutant characteristics such as the size of particulate matter (PM). A comprehensive summary of plant species that can remove pollutants such as VOCs and PM is provided. Sources of indoor air pollutants, as well as their impact on human health, are described. Phytoremediation and its mechanism of cleaning indoor air are discussed. The potential role of green walls and potted-plants for improving indoor air quality is examined. A list of plant species suitable for indoor air phytoremediation is proposed. This review will help in making informed decisions about integrating plants into the interior building design.

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