Characterization of Indoor Air Quality on a College Campus: A Pilot Study

Details

• Personal Author:
  Carter E ; Erlandson G ; Magzamen S ; Reynolds SJ ; Schaeffer JW ; Sharp JL
• Description:
  Recent construction trends on college campuses have demonstrated a shift to designing buildings with features focused on sustainability. However, few studies have investigated indoor air quality in institutions of higher education, particularly in sustainably designed buildings. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of building and occupancy on indoor air quality within and between higher education buildings. We measured particulate matter, formaldehyde, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxides in LEED certified, retrofitted, and conventional building types on a college campus. Three size fractions of particulate matter were measured in each building. We conducted multi-zonal, 48-h measurements when the buildings were occupied and unoccupied. Outdoor particulate matter was significantly higher (PM2.5 = 4.76, PM4 = 17.1, and PM100 = 21.6 µg/m3) than in classrooms (PM2.5 = 1.7, PM4 = 4.2, and PM100 = 6.7 µg/m3) and common areas (PM2.5 = 1.3, PM4 = 4.2, and PM100 = 4.8 µg/m3; all p < 0.001). Additionally, concentrations of carbon dioxide and particulate matter were significantly higher (p < 0.05) during occupied sampling. The results suggest that occupancy status and building zone are major predictors of indoor air quality in campus buildings, which can, in turn, increase the concentration of contaminants, potentially impacting occupant health and performance. More research is warranted to reveal building features and human behaviors contributing to indoor exposures. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution, Indoor Education Environmental Exposure Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety
• Keywords:
  Air Contaminants Author Keywords: Indoor Air Building Ventilation Environmental Exposure Higher Education IAQ Indoor Air Quality Indoor Environments LEED Particulate Matter Particulates Public Health Sustainability

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• ISSN:
  1660-4601
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 8
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  16
• Issue:
  15
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070908
• Citation:
  Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019 Aug; 16(15):2721
• Contact Point Address:
  Joshua W. Schaeffer, Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
• Email:
  joshua.schaeffer@colostate.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  Colorado State University - Ft. Collins
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20030915
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• End Date:
  20270914
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2e0a772c1f7923c69448f598cacf270ad1005294a0df5bf24985e80b624b5f0a2dea29143c920baf4b5a82e8259bb56732a7fe8fe46e1b8ffd88632f80f1ccaf
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/209030/cdc_209030_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.30 MB ]