Overlooked Impacts of Urban Environments on the Air Quality in Naturally Ventilated Schools Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
| Autor: | Kristijan Lavtižar, Alenka Fikfak, Rok Fink |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2023 |
| Předmět: |
Geography
Planning and Development koncentracija PM2 5 COVID-19 preventive measures Management Monitoring Policy and Law preventivni ukrepi udc:727 PM2.5 concentration naturally ventilation naturally ventilated schools naravno prezračevanje mestni šolski okoliši kakovost zraka udc:727:697.9:616-036.22 Renewable Energy Sustainability and the Environment COVID-19 Building and Construction air quality indoor spaces air quality PM2.5 concentration naturally ventilation school urban environment preventive measures zaprti prostori koncentracija CO2 IAQ school urban environment CO2 concentration preventive measures indoor spaces zaprti prostori kakovost zraka koncentracija PM2 5 koncentracija CO2 naravno prezračevanje mestni šolski okoliši preventivni ukrepi COVID-19 indoor air quality |
| Zdroj: | Sustainability Volume 15 Issue 3 Pages: 2796 Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 3, 2796, 2023. Sustainability, 16 str. : Ilustr., Vol. 15, iss. 3 [article no.] 2796, Feb. 2023 COBISS-ID: 5324897 |
| ISSN: | 2071-1050 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/su15032796 |
| Popis: | The density, form, and dimensions of urban morphology are important for healthy living conditions in cities, especially if they are related to the climate and air pollution. Morphology and environmental conditions determine the relationship between open and built space, the width of street spaces, the aerodynamic characteristics of wind currents, albedo, and the retention of pollutants, as well as determining the radiative exchange with the atmosphere. Studies on the COVID-19 pandemic have focused on the assumption of a possible relationship between the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the presence and concentration of airborne particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5). This paper focuses on the research of indoor air quality (IAQ) in two schools with naturally ventilated classrooms in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The presence of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and the concentration of CO2 were studied, along with other microclimatic conditions, e.g., ambient temperature, relative humidity, air pressure, and wind conditions. These were compared and assessed via analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Duncan’s post hoc test. The main concern was to see how effective different ventilation strategies are, as well as how the openings in the classroom impact the concentrations of CO2 relative to the concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 particles as a side effect of these ventilation strategies. The inconsistent application of recommended COVID-19 ventilation strategies suggests that IAQ in naturally ventilated classrooms is highly determined by individual perceptions of indoor air quality. The results also suggest that the IAQ is significantly affected by the schools’ urban environment; however, this is not considered within the national COVID-19 ventilation recommendations. Future ventilation guidelines for pandemics should also include the urban environment as a risk factor for inadequate IAQ, instead of focusing solely on pathogen characteristics. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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