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A study of 120 randomly selected classrooms in 30 schools in central and south Texas, USA was conducted to begin assembling baseline information on the condition of indoor air in Texas elementary schools. Part I of the study consisted of questionnaires sent to all teachers and staff in the schools to obtain information about the use of their rooms, room contents and their perceptions of its indoor air quality. Part II consisted of walkthroughs in each school and the 120 classrooms to obtain information on the building design, HVAC system and condition of the space/building.

The Texas Elementary School Indoor Air Study (TESIAS) involved several phases, including single-day continuous monitoring of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 120 randomly selected classrooms in two school districts. The median time-averaged and peak CO CO2 concentrations were 1,286 ppm and 2,062 ppm, respectively. The time-averaged CO2 concentration exceeded 1,000 ppm in 66% of the classrooms. The peak CO2 concentration exceeded 1,000 ppm in 88% of the classrooms and 3,000 ppm in 21% of the classrooms.

A research program has been initiated to focus on obtaining quantitative data in existing elementary schools through a longitudinal study with controls, interventions, and cross-sectional components. The overall objective of this program is to quantify the effects of simultaneous control of indoor exposures (i.e., thermal, indoor air quality or IAQ, lighting, and acoustics) on specific measures of human response, student and teacher performance, and productivity. The pilot study is being conducted in six elementary schools in Montgomery County Maryland.

In buildings with mechanical ventilation, particles accumulate in the supply air filters. We conducted a field experiment in a school to investigate if such pollutants could affect the health of the pupils. In a school building we changed old and new supply air filters in the air handling units, with a cross over design of the study. Pupils answered a symptom questionnaire, and a subset of pupils was also examined by objective clinical methods.

Indoor air quality differences were investigated among five schools with and five schools without active humidity control systems. The active humidity systems provided approximately 15 cfm/person of ventilation air, while the schools without the active humidity control systems averaged less than five cfm/person. The space humidity levels in varying widely without active humidity control, and rose to unacceptable levels during summer shut-down periods.

Irritative and respiratory symptoms are reported from people working or living in damp and mouldy buildings, but signs of pulmonary involvement have not yet been found. We studied 522 teachers working in 15 primary schools with various degrees of dampness and mould growth. Symptoms, spirometry, CO-diffusion, and bronchial challenge was compared to classification of dampness and mould growth in or outside classrooms.

The study conducted by the US Government Accounting Office in 1995 says that 25 % of the nation’s schools are plagued by IAQ problems, even higher percentage of schools having IAQ problems is reported by the Environmental Protection Agency (Johnston and D

Efficient energy utilization and indoor air quality (IAQ) inside office premises and other public places have become issues of increasing concern in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). The Government of HKSAR has launched a territory wide consultation in 1999 on the proposed Indoor Air Quality Management Programme for offices and public places. This paper briefly introduces the proposed Indoor Air Quality Management Programme and its proposed target objectives.

The study is a review of 600 articles to determine if indoor environments does influence student performance at school. The study has been extended to other categories (laboratories, offices). No direct relationship has been statistically shown but results suggest a link between ventilation rate and performance, as well as for presence of carpets, pollens or low efficiency filtration.

Physico-chemical and microbiological measurements (temperature, humidity, CO2, CO, VOC, bacteria and fungi) were performed on indoor air of three schools near Paris (France). Results of measurements are given and analysed. Indoor air quality is better with mechanical ventilation than in operable windows classrooms. TVOC concentrations are much higher indoors than outdoors.