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The Indoor Environment in Schools, Kindergartens and Day Care Centres

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Indoor Environmental Quality and Health Risk toward Healthier Environment for All

Abstract

Schools and day care centres (also called kindergartens) are important indoor environments for children. There is evidence that the indoor environment in day care centres and schools can increase asthma, asthmatic symptoms, rhinitis and other medical symptoms (e.g. eye irritation, dermal symptoms, headache and fatigue) among children. The indoor environment may also affect teachers and other staff. Moreover, impaired indoor environment in schools may impair learning and mental ability among school children. Ventilation flow should fulfil current general ventilation standards for indoor environments. Installation of a mechanical ventilation system is the safest way to ensure sufficient ventilation flow. Control of room temperature and effective cleaning routines are other important measures to improve the indoor environment. Exposure to building dampness and indoor microbial growth should be avoided and occurrence of indoor mould and bacteria should be minimized. Chemical emissions from building materials should be reduced by selecting low emitting materials and consumer products. Wall-to-wall carpets should not be used in schools and day care centres since they are difficult to clean and can accumulate allergens and microbial compounds. Schools and day care centres buildings should be located away from heavy trafficked roads to reduce exposure to traffic air pollution. Since children are a sensitive subgroup of the population, schools and day care centres should meet high standards for indoor environment and indoor air quality.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biosphere Sciences, School of Human Sciences, Kobe College, Nishinomiya, Japan

    Motoko Takaoka

  2. Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

    Dan Norbäck

Authors
  1. Motoko Takaoka
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  2. Dan Norbäck
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Motoko Takaoka .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hokkaido University, Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

    Reiko Kishi

  2. Uppsala University, Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden

    Dan Norbäck

  3. Hokkaido University, Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

    Atsuko Araki

Appendices

Appendix 1: Typical Indoor Exposure in Day Care Centres and Schools

1.1 Microorganisms

Mould, bacteria, virus.

1.2 Microbial Compounds

Endotoxin (from gram-negative bacteria).

Muramic acid (from gram-positive bacteria.

Ergosterol (from mould).

Beta-1,3-glucan (from mould).

Fungal and bacterial DNA.

1.3 Allergens

Allergenic proteins from cats, dogs, mice, house dust mites, cockroaches and horses.

1.4 Gaseous Inorganic Compounds

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), Ozone (O3), Carbon dioxide (CO2).

1.5 Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)

Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acrolein, benzene, toluene, xylene, n-alkanes, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, Texanol, VOC of possible microbial origin (MVOC) such as 1-octen-3-ol and geosmin.

1.6 Semi-volatile Organic Compounds (SVOC)

Phthalates, non-phthalate plasticizers, brominated flame retardants, phosphorinated flame retardants, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), Texanol, TXIB.

1.7 Airborne Particle Mass (PM)

PM10, PM2.5, submicron particle number concentration (PN), ultra-fine particles (UFP).

Appendix 2: Types of Allergens Found in Day Care Centres and Schools

Cat allergen (Fel d 1).

Dog allergen (Can f 1).

Horse allergen (Equ cx).

House dust mite allergens from Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p1), Dermatophagoides farinae (Der f1) and Dermatophagoides microceras (Der m 1).

Storage mite allergens from Blomia tropicalis in schools in tropical areas.

Cockroach allergens from German cochroach (Bla g 1) and American cockroach (Bla g 2).

Mouse and rat allergens.

Fungal allergens, e.g. from Alternaria alternata and Aspergillus species.

Appendix 3: Typical Indoor Problem in Schools and Day Care Centres and How to Solve Them

Type of indoor problem

How to solve the problem

High indoor CO2 levels

Less students per floor area

Increase ventilation flow

Install a mechanical ventilation system

High room temperature

Less students per floor area

Increase ventilation flow

Reduce solar influx of heat

Low room temperature

Improve thermal insulation of the building

Increase capacity of heating sources

Dampness or indoor mould

Make a building investigation to identify sources and causes of the dampness problem

Remove affected building materials

Elevated indoor PM10 or PM2.5

Increase ventilation flow

Increase cleaning frequency

Air filtration to reduce infiltration from polluted outdoor environment

Elevated ultra-fine particles (UFP)

Check indoor and outdoor combustion sources

Elevated levels of volatile chemicals

Make an investigation to identify emission sources

Increase ventilation flow

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Takaoka, M., Norbäck, D. (2020). The Indoor Environment in Schools, Kindergartens and Day Care Centres. In: Kishi, R., Norbäck, D., Araki, A. (eds) Indoor Environmental Quality and Health Risk toward Healthier Environment for All. Current Topics in Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9182-9_5

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