The researchers installed air pollution sensors in three classrooms at a Cardiff high school to measure particulate matter (PM), which is the most important pollutant for human health. The sensors allowed researchers to pinpoint the sources of air pollution within the classrooms and whether they came from inside or outside the room.
Sensor data showed that 93-98 per cent of PM1 pollutants originated outside the building. This contribution decreased as particle size increased, with outdoor sources accounting for 74-89 per cent of PM2.5 and 19-40 per cent of larger PM10 particles respectively.
In addition to outdoor sources, they discovered that differences in classroom PM concentration related to differences in lesson activities and frequency, whether the room was carpeted or hard floored, and the classroom’s location within the school.
Published in Indoor Air this is the first paper published by McCall MacBain Clean Air Fellows studying on the master’s degree in Air Pollution Management and Control at Birmingham University.
In a statement, co-author and Clean Air Fellow Owain Rose said: “Indoor air quality is becoming one of the most important factors for public health, as people spend far more time indoors compared to outdoors.
“By combining low-cost air pollution sensors with algorithms to determine pollution source, we can understand the factors affecting indoor air quality within a typical UK school - measuring air pollution concentrations during a typical school week and subsequent holiday period.”
The researchers discovered PM levels remained within World Health Organisation guidelines whilst students were in the building during school hours – with the dominant sources of PM1 and PM2.5 coming from outdoors, whilst PM10 sources were mainly from indoor sources.
Co-author and Clean Air Fellow Catrin Rathbone said: “Our approach is easily translated to other indoor locations worldwide and could be scaled due to its low cost. It would allow air quality management in locations crucial for the public health and educational outcomes of children.”
The high school studied is in an urban area of Cardiff and accommodates approximately 900 pupils, between the ages of 11 and 19. For the two-week study period, three optical particle counter (OPC) sensors were installed in a religious studies classroom, an English studies classroom, and a home economics classroom.
Schools represent a significant microenvironment for exposure to air pollution during childhood. In the UK, children spend 14.1 per cent of their total year in school, making healthy indoor air quality within school environments vital for safeguarding their health.
The Clean Air Fund and Birmingham University, with the support of the McCall MacBain Foundation, launched the Clean Air Fellowship in 2022 and the programme has now entered its third year.
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