An Experimental Investigation of the Indoor Air Quality in Fifteen School Buildings in Athens

The present paper aims at investigating the indoor air quality in fifteen school buildings located in the greater Athens area. Experimental investigations were performed in fifteen different school classrooms and the concentration levels of various pollutants such as CO2, CO, TVOC, HCHO, and radon, were measured. Moreover, the experimental investigation included measurements of several environmental parameters such as temperature, relative humidity and air velocity inside each classroom, while ventilation was examined by estimating the air changes using the tracer gas technique. From the above investigation, it was found that the indoor air quality inside the classrooms is strongly related to the number of occupants and their activities. The toxic pollutants such as CO, HCHO, TVOC and radon, measured inside the classrooms, present concentrations that are lower than their relative limit values and hence, they do not create any problem for the occupants. However, frequently, the CO2 concentration levels were found to be higher than the recommended limits. This can be attributed to insufficient natural ventilation as well as to the absence of mechanical ventilation.