The Influence of Ventilation Measures on the Airborne Risk of Infection in Schools: A Scoping Review

Sandra N. Jendrossek (), Lukas A. Jurk, Kirsten Remmers, Yunus E. Cetin, Wolfgang Sunder, Martin Kriegel and Petra Gastmeier
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Sandra N. Jendrossek: Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 12203 Berlin, Germany
Lukas A. Jurk: Institute of Industrial Building and Construction Design, Technical University Carolo Wilhelmina, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
Kirsten Remmers: Institute of Industrial Building and Construction Design, Technical University Carolo Wilhelmina, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
Yunus E. Cetin: Hermann-Rietschel-Institut, Technical University of Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany
Wolfgang Sunder: Institute of Industrial Building and Construction Design, Technical University Carolo Wilhelmina, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
Martin Kriegel: Hermann-Rietschel-Institut, Technical University of Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany
Petra Gastmeier: Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 12203 Berlin, Germany

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 4, 1-21

Abstract: Objectives: To review the risk of airborne infections in schools and evaluate the effect of intervention measures reported in field studies. Background: Schools are part of a country’s critical infrastructure. Good infection prevention measures are essential for reducing the risk of infection in schools as much as possible, since these are places where many individuals spend a great deal of time together every weekday in a small area where airborne pathogens can spread quickly. Appropriate ventilation can reduce the indoor concentration of airborne pathogens and reduce the risk of infection. Methods: A systematic search of the literature was conducted in the databases Embase, MEDLINE, and ScienceDirect using keywords such as school, classroom, ventilation, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) concentration, SARS-CoV-2, and airborne transmission. The primary endpoint of the studies selected was the risk of airborne infection or CO 2 concentration as a surrogate parameter. Studies were grouped according to the study type. Results: We identified 30 studies that met the inclusion criteria, six of them intervention studies. When specific ventilation strategies were lacking in schools being investigated, CO 2 concentrations were often above the recommended maximum values. Improving ventilation lowered the CO 2 concentration, resulting in a lower risk of airborne infections. Conclusions: The ventilation in many schools is not adequate to guarantee good indoor air quality. Ventilation is an important measure for reducing the risk of airborne infections in schools. The most important effect is to reduce the time of residence of pathogens in the classrooms.

Keywords: school; ventilation; CO 2 concentration; airborne transmission; SARS-CoV-2 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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