Cover Feature
A IS FOR AIR QUALITY Willow Aliento talks to indoor air quality (IAQ) experts about Australia’s stuffy, smelly classrooms – and why COVID-19 is not the only airborne issue. School classrooms are notorious for being spaces where students often feel tired, irritable and generally out of sorts. No wonder teachers can find it hard to get kids to engage and pay attention. One of the main reasons this is so common is the indoor air quality in many classrooms is making them unhealthy places to be.
higher risk for dry cough and rhinitis. Low fresh air ventilation rates have also been linked to higher rates of absenteeism, poorer performance on academic tests, and teacher dissatisfaction. “Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) and high indoor air temperatures in classrooms are critical problems worldwide,” says Dr Shaddad. “This is worsened when ventilation rates are insufficient to remove excessive heat or pollutants, particularly when windows are kept closed to avoid discomfort caused by external noise, weather, or to prevent drafts.”
It is an issue indoor air quality (IAQ) and HVAC researchers and experts have been aware of for some time. Now, with COVID-19 still present in our communities and pupils returning to classrooms, education departments and schools are finally sitting up and taking notice.
Low ventilation rates also increase the concentration of other problematic pollutants in the classroom. Haddad says this is a major risk factor for asthma in children.
HOW IAQ AFFECTS STUDENTS UNSW School of Built Environment Associate Lecturer Dr Shamila Haddad led recent research into how IAQ affects student health and productivity. One of the major findings is that CO2 levels in Australian classrooms frequently exceed the recommended levels for indoor air quality. High CO2 levels have a direct impact on learning performance, Haddad explains. Students are less able to concentrate and may also experience headaches, drowsiness, tiredness and changes in respiratory patterns. Schoolchildren exposed to CO2 levels above 1,000ppm face a significantly 20
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“Previous research has also demonstrated that the risks for upper and lower airways and systemic disorders in school children is significantly increased with the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) score.”
Poor IAQ and high indoor air temperatures in classrooms are critical problems worldwide |
November 2021
WHERE OTHER INDOOR POLLUTANTS COME FROM Gaseous pollutants can include: • Bioeffluents emitted by occupants (burping and flatulence, for example) • Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from building materials, furnishings and classroom equipment • Pollution from outdoors, such as vehicle emissions that enter the indoor environment. RMIT Associate Professor Priya Rajagopalan says the amount of time kids – and teachers – spend in the classrooms exacerbates the risks. According to a report RMIT produced on Victorian classrooms, students spend up to 12,900 hours of their lives in school buildings from pre-school to Year 12 – or 25 per cent of their waking lives. “Poor IAQ in schools impacts the cognitive performance of students and the health and wellbeing of teachers,” says Rajagopalan. “It is important to note that primary school students may be spending a whole year in a single classroom as they don’t change classrooms every period like in secondary schools.
