The quality of indoor air in schools and educational centers

Most people are aware of the damage caused by pollution in the outdoor air. However, indoor air pollution in buildings has an even greater effect on people's health. In the case of the environmental quality in schools, it plays an important role in the health and academic performance of children. Children spend a large part of their time in schools and are much more likely than adults to be negatively affected by indoor air pollution. They breathe a greater volume of air in relation to their body weight, which leads to a higher load of pollutants accumulating in their bodies. Scientific studies show that poor indoor air quality causes health problems such as asthma, allergies, and also lack of attention and attendance.

RITE requirements for ventilation and air quality in schools and educational centers

In Spain, the RITE (Regulation of Thermal Installations in Buildings) since 2007 establishes the obligation for new building projects to have mechanical ventilation systems in schools. Current research is studying how indoor air pollutants, specifically smaller particles (PM 2.5), directly deteriorate children's cognitive development. Thanks to the requirements of the RITE, air ventilation and purification units of the SIAV type, based on the Direct Method of Air Quality, are currently being installed in Spain, which dilute and filter these harmful pollutants for children.

The Direct Method of Air Quality takes into account not only people but also materials and the quality of outdoor air where the building is located and other aspects generally ignored by traditional methods such as the effectiveness of the filtration of ventilation systems. Current systems include filter batteries for the filtration of both particles and volatile organic compounds.

Mechanical ventilation systems with high energy efficiency are also particularly important today. These systems adapt the air renewal flow rates to the actual occupancy of the spaces to avoid thermal losses. They are usually of two types: single-zone, where one fan controls a single room, or multi-zone, where each fan can cover several classrooms or rooms.

Emission rates of pollutants: Olf and Decipol

These methods accepted by the RITE adopt the olfactory method developed by Professor P.O. Fanger, who established two new units of measurement used in ventilation systems: Olf (from Latin olfactus) is the emission rate of pollutants produced by a standard adult person who works in an office or in a non-industrial, sedentary job, in a thermally neutral environment, and with a personal hygiene level equivalent to 0.7 baths per day. In the case of a nursery or school, the sensitivity load applied for each child is 1.2 and 1.3 olf/occupant, respectively.

The Decipol (from Latin pollutio) is the unit of measurement of perceived air quality and is defined as the pollution caused by a standard person (1 olf) with a ventilation rate of 10 l/s of non-contaminated air: 1 decipol = 0.1 olf/l/s.