Indoor Air Quality
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Improving Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in Schools
It is generally recognised Australians spend 90% or more of their time indoors. Despite this, relatively little research has been done on the quality of air in our homes, schools, recreational buildings, restaurants, public buildings, offices, or inside cars. Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) affects the health and comfort of students and teachers and is among themany factors that contribute to learning and productivity in the classroom, which in turn affects
performance andproductivity in the classroom, which in turn affects performance and achievement. Providing a healthy, comfortable environment is an investment in your students and staff. By promoting a healthy learning environment at your school has a positive effect and can be measured in a reduction of absenteeism, an improvement in test scores and enhancement in student and staff productivity and wellbeing.
What is in Classroom Air?
Schools have immediate needs for better ventilation. With the risk of the recent COVID-19 infection being higher in indoor spaces due to poor ventilation, respiratory aerosols from breathing and speaking accumulate, much like cigarette smoke but invisible.
Risk of infection increases risk over time. Spending 10 minutes indoors in a poorly ventilated room is less of a risk than spending hours in there so schools,
especially classrooms, are high risk due to close proximity of multiple bodies in a confined space. Contaminants such as CO2, fungi, microbial contamination, dust mites, particulates and volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) such as formaldehyde, which can be found in furniture, window coverings, flooring, paints and adhesives in building materials can all be prevalent in a school campus building.
Understanding the Effects of High Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Levels
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is a natural part of the atmosphere. You may have heard that too much CO2 can affect the environment. However, too much CO2 can also affect people indoors. When a room has lots of people and poor ventilation, the concentration of CO2 may get too high. High levels of CO2 in the air can reduce the amount of oxygen you breath in.
This means there is less oxygen going to your brain. If your classroom has too much CO2, you might find it hard to pay attention to your teacher, concentrate on tests, or even stay awake. In one study, scientists found that high levels of CO2 can even make it harder for you to make decisions.
How much CO2 is in your classroom?
CO2 levels of 1,000 to 2,000 parts per million (ppm) can cause drowsiness. Headaches and other physical effects described above can begin at between 2,000 and 5,000 ppm. More serious, and potentially toxic, effects can happen when CO2 levels are above 5,000 ppm. Remembering, 1,000 ppm is not high enough to hurt you. But it is high enough to cause some physical effects that could affect a students grades and the performance of a teacher.
By measuring CO2 in a classroom compared to outside air gives a good guide to the room’s level of ventilation. CO2 in outside air is about 400 ppm and a well-ventilated classroom should be no more than 800 ppm when at capacity with students and teacher.
Monitoring & Ventilating Classrooms
Effective ventilation in naturally ventilated classrooms can only be established by CO2 monitoring on site, preferably in real time, as changes in occupancy, weather conditions and wind speed can drastically impact ventilation and CO2 in that space. For classrooms where artificial ventilation is required, it is now possible via Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure., to install a cost effective, intelligent, virtual Building Management System (BMS) which links CO2 sensors with window mounted exhaust fans. Once the CO2 reaches a certain a certain level (ie: 600 ppm), the exhaust fans automatically start to extract the CO2.
Co2 monitoring
Ventilation
virus transmission
improved learning
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