| Title |
Methods for Management and Improvement of Indoor Air Quality in Child Care Centers |
| Authors |
Lim Ji-Hye ; Sohn Jang-Yeul |
| Keywords |
Child Care Center ; Indoor Air Quality ; Improvement Work for IAQ ; Air Purifier ; Interior Finishing Material ; Ventilation System |
| Abstract |
The purpose of this paper is to suggest effective methods for improving and managing IAQ in child care center. Measurements were performed for air temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide, fine particle mass, formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds in 17 child care center. In order to analyze the change in concentration of pollutants by time slot, the IAQ was assessed three times before children came to the childcare facilities, and in the morning and afternoon in 6 centers. The improvement works that each child care center took for IAQ were installation of air purifiers, changing interior finishing material, installation of ventilation system. To evaluate the effect of the improvement works, measurements and survey were performed again. In most child care rooms, the indoor pollutant concentration was higher than in outdoor air, indicating the cause of higher indoor air pollution was due to internal sources. The concentration of CO2 and TVOC exceeded the standard, by 37% respectively and the concentration of PM10 and HCHO exceeded the standard, by 23% respectively in all rooms. CO2 and PM10 concentrations tended to be the lowest before children came, increased after they came and decreased again in the afternoon due to children’s breathing and physical activities. TVOC and HCHO concentration peaked before the children came, which got accumulated in the air while the child care facilities are not in use and decreased gradually as time passed. Installing an air purifier in the child care room was effective in decreasing TVOC concentration and installing a ventilation system is effectively decreases PM10, TVOC and HCHO. Changing interior finishing material was not effective at all in decreasing indoor air pollutants during researching term. About 41% of respondants gave a positive response before the improvement work for the question of satisfaction with indoor air in the center and about 87% gave a positive response after the improvement work. |