Journal of Environmental Health Sciences (한국환경보건학회지)

Korean Society of Environmental Health (한국환경보건학회)
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Evaluation of Carbon Dioxide Concentrations and Ventilation Rates in Elementary, Middle, and High Schools

초·중·고등학교의 이산화탄소 농도 및 환기량 평가

  • Choe, Youngtae (Department of Occupational Health, Daegu Catholic University) ;
  • Heo, Jung (Department of Occupational Health, Daegu Catholic University) ;
  • Park, Jinhyeon (Department of Occupational Health, Daegu Catholic University) ;
  • Kim, Eunchae (Department of Occupational Health, Daegu Catholic University) ;
  • Ryu, Hyoensu (Department of Occupational Health, Daegu Catholic University) ;
  • Kim, Dong Jun (Department of Occupational Health, Daegu Catholic University) ;
  • Cho, Mansu (Department of Occupational Health, Daegu Catholic University) ;
  • Lee, Chaekwan (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Busan Paik Hospital & Institute of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Inje University) ;
  • Lee, Jongdae (Department of Environmental Health Science, SoonChunHyang University) ;
  • Yang, Wonho (Department of Occupational Health, Daegu Catholic University)
  • 최영태 (대구가톨릭대학교 산업보건학과) ;
  • 허정 (대구가톨릭대학교 산업보건학과) ;
  • 박진현 (대구가톨릭대학교 산업보건학과) ;
  • 김은채 (대구가톨릭대학교 산업보건학과) ;
  • 류현수 (대구가톨릭대학교 산업보건학과) ;
  • 김동준 (대구가톨릭대학교 산업보건학과) ;
  • 조만수 (대구가톨릭대학교 산업보건학과) ;
  • 이채관 (인제대학교 부산백병원 직업환경의학과, 환경산업의학연구소) ;
  • 이종대 (순천향대학교 환경보건학과) ;
  • 양원호 (대구가톨릭대학교 산업보건학과)
  • Received : 2020.05.27
  • Accepted : 2020.06.18
  • Published : 2020.06.30
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Abstract

Objectives: Much attention has been paid to indoor air quality. Ventilation within schools is important because of indoor air quality and its effect on health and learning performance. In this study, we evaluated the carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and ventilation rates in schools. Methods: This study measured the concentration of CO2 in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms over six months. The seasons during the study were summer, fall, and winter. Sensor-based monitoring was used and the basic characteristics of the classroom were investigated. The body surface area of the students was used to calculate the CO2 generation rate, and the air change per hour (ACH) was evaluated using mass balance modeling. Results: The average CO2 concentration measured in most schools exceeded 1000 ppm. The ventilation rates varied from season to season. Compared to the recommended ventilation rate of 4.9 ACH, the roughly 3 ACH calculated in this study indicates that most schools possessed insufficient ventilation. Conclusions: The concentration of CO2 in school classrooms could be an indicator of indoor air quality and can affect students' learning ability. In this study, CO2 concentrations exceeding the standard indicate a lack of ventilation along with problems with indoor air quality. Therefore, appropriate improvements are needed to overcome these problems.

Keywords

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