Indoor air quality monitoring and management in primary and secondary schools in China / 中国学校卫生

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To investigate indoor air quality monitoring and management in primary and secondary schools, so as to provide scientific basis for health protection of students and healthy school environment.@*Methods@#Stratified sampling method was adopted to select schools for investigation. Data of daily ventilation and ventilation was collected from relevant principals of schools through questionnaire survey. Chi-square test was used to analyze the difference of ventilation and ventilation among different types of schools.@*Results@#Daily indoor air quality testing indicators 317 schools (13.2%) have tested the concentration of CO2 in the air environment. Daily detection of CO2 in urban schools was significantly better than that in township schools, and the difference is statistically significant(χ2=72.06, P<0.01); Non-boarding schools were superior than boarding schools(χ2=21.89, P<0.01). The proportion of schools that routinely tested for carbon monoxide, particulate matter and volatile pollutants was 6.5%, 7.5% and 9.3%, respectively. Of the schools that participated in the survey, 80.8% had a daily ventilation system. Among them, 925 schools (38.5%) had a cumulative daily ventilation time of more than 90 minutes in cold season, and 331 schools (13.8%) had a daily ventilation time of less than 30 minutes.@*Conclusion@#Regulations and standards for school air quality monitoring needs to be improved. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention or other qualified institutions are suggested to lead air quality monitoring in schools testing, creating a healthy learning and living environment for primary and secondary school students.