Indoor Air Quality in Brazilian Universities

Sonia R. Jurado, Antônia D. P. Bankoff and Andrea Sanchez
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Sonia R. Jurado: Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul. Avenue Ranulpho Marquês Leal, 3484, Três Lagoas 79620-080, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
Antônia D. P. Bankoff: Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul. Avenue Ranulpho Marquês Leal, 3484, Três Lagoas 79620-080, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
Andrea Sanchez: Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul. Avenue Ranulpho Marquês Leal, 3484, Três Lagoas 79620-080, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

IJERPH, 2014, vol. 11, issue 7, 1-13

Abstract: This study evaluated the indoor air quality in Brazilian universities by comparing thirty air-conditioned (AC) ( n = 15) and naturally ventilated (NV) ( n = 15) classrooms. The parameters of interest were indoor carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), temperature, relative humidity (RH), wind speed, viable mold, and airborne dust levels. The NV rooms had larger concentration of mold than the AC rooms (1001.30 ± 125.16 and 367.00 ± 88.13 cfu/m 3 , respectively). The average indoor airborne dust concentration exceeded the Brazilian standards (<80 µg/m 3 ) in both NV and AC classrooms. The levels of CO 2 in the AC rooms were significantly different from the NV rooms (1433.62 ± 252.80 and 520.12 ± 37.25 ppm, respectively). The indoor air quality in Brazilian university classrooms affects the health of students. Therefore, indoor air pollution needs to be considered as an important public health problem.

Keywords: classroom air quality; biocontaminants; universities; student performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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