Serdar ULUS, Mustafa Alparslan BABAYİĞİT, Bilal BAKIR, Recai OĞUR, Abdullah KILIÇ, Ömer Faruk TEKBAŞ

Indoor air quality in primary schools in Keçiören, Ankara*

Aim: To increase the awareness of environmental risk factors by determining the indoor air quality status of primary schools. Materials and methods: Indoor air quality parameters in 172 classrooms of 31 primary schools in Keçiören, Ankara, were examined for the purpose of assessing the levels of air pollutants (CO, CO2 , SO2 , NO2 , and formaldehyde) within primary schools. Results: Schools near heavy traffic had a statistically significant mean average of CO and SO2(P < 0.05). The classrooms that had more than 35 students had higher and statistically significant averages of CO2 , SO2 , NO2 , and formaldehyde compared to classrooms that had fewer than 35 students (P < 0.05). Of all classrooms, 29% had 100 CFU/100 mL and higher concentrations of microorganisms, which were not pathogens. Conclusion: Indoor air quality management should continually be maintained in primary schools for the prevention and control of acute and chronic diseases, particularly considering biological and chemical pollution.

PDF

___

1. Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu. 20112012 Eğitim Öğretim Yılı Eğitim Kurumlarının Kademelere göre Okul, Öğrenci, Öğretmen ve Derslik Sayısı. Ankara, Turkey, TÜİK; 2012. Available from http://www.tuik.gov.tr/VeriBilgi.do?alt_id=14 (report in Turkish).
2. Tekbaş ÖF, Vaizoğlu SA. Okul Çevre Sağlığı. Ankara, Turkey: Yazıt Yayıncılık; 2008 (book in Turkish).
3. Tekbaş ÖF. Okul çevre sağlığı. In: Tekbaş ÖF editor. Çevre sağlığı. Ankara, Turkey: Gülhane Askeri Tıp Akademisi Basımevi; 2010. p.261298 (book chapter in Turkish).
4. Jones SE, Fisher CJ, Greene BZ, Hertz MF, Pritzl J. Healthy and safe school environment, Part I: Results from the School Health Policies and Programs Study 2006. J Sch Health 2007; 77: 522543.
5. Pekcan H. Okul sağlığı. In: Güler Ç, Akın L, editors. Halk Sağlığı Temel Bilgiler. Ankara, Turkey: Hacettepe Üniversitesi Yayınları; 2006. p.454479 (book chapter in Turkish).
6. Akın A, Hodoğlugil N, Koçoğlu G, Supramaniam DA, Aydın Y, Bacanlı A, Barut C, Başar K, Çağlar P. Altındağ merkez sağlık ocağı bölgesindeki beş ilkögretim okulundaki okul sağlığı uygulamalarının değerlendirilmesi. Hacettepe Toplum Hekimliği Bülteni 2000; 3 (article in Turkish).
7. American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Environmental Health. Schools. In: Etzel RA, editor. Pediatric Environmental Health. 3rd ed. Elk Grove Village, IL, USA: American Academy of Pediatrics; 2012. p.133150.
8. American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Environmental Health. Child care settings. In: Etzel RA, editor. Pediatric Environmental Health. 3rd ed. Elk Grove Village, IL, USA: American Academy of Pediatrics; 2012. p.109131.
9. Godwin C, Batterman S. Indoor air quality in Michigan schools. Indoor Air 2007; 17: 109121.
10. Gitterman BA, Bearer CF. A developmental approach to pediatric environmental health. In: Davis C, Paulson JA, editors. The Pediatric Clinics of North America: Childrens Environmental Health. Orlando, FL, USA: WB Saunders Company; 2001. p.10711083.
11. Jones SE, Axelrad R, Wattigney WA. Healthy and safe school environment, Part II: Results from the School Health Policies and Programs Study 2006. J Sch Health; 2007; 77: 544556.
12. Landrigan PJ. Childrens environmental health. In: Davis C, Paulson JA, editors. The Pediatric Clinics of North America: Childrens Environmental Health. Orlando, FL, USA: WB Saunders Company; 2001. p.13191330.
13. Wigle DT, Arbuckle TE, Walker M, Wade MG, Liu S, Krewski D. Environmental hazards: evidence for effects on child health. J Toxicol Environ Health B 2007; 10: 339.
14. Türk Standartları Enstitüsü. Türk Standardı 9518. İlköğretim Okulları Fiziki Yerleşim Genel Kurallar. Ankara, Turkey: Türk Standartları Enstitüsü; 2000 (standard in Turkish).
15. Türk Standartları Enstitüsü. Türk Standardı 12014. Çevre Sağlığı - Okullar. Ankara: Türk Standartları Enstitüsü; 1996 (standard in Turkish).
16. Cummins SK, Jackson RJ. The built environment and childrens health. In: Davis C, Paulson JA, editors. The Pediatric Clinics of North America: Childrens Environmental Health. Orlando, FL, USA: WB Saunders Company; 2001. p.12411252.
17. Sallis JF, Prochaska JJ, Taylor WC. A review of correlates of physical activity of children and adolescents. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2000; 32: 963975.
18. World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. European Series, No. 91. Air Quality Guidelines for Europe. 2nd ed. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO; 2000. Available from www.euro.who.int/document/e71922.pdf.
19. Santamouris M, Synnefa A, Asssimakopoulos M, Livada I, Pavlou K, Papaglastra N, Gaitani D, Kolokotsa D, Assimakopoulos V. Experimental investigation of the air flow and indoor carbon dioxide concentration in classrooms with intermittent natural ventilation. Energy Buildings 2008; 40: 18331843.
20. Daisey JM, Angell WJ, Apte MG. Indoor air quality, ventilation and health symptoms in schools: an analysis of existing information. Indoor Air 2003; 13: 5364.
21. Otto DA, Hudnell HK, House DE, Mølhave L, Counts W. Exposure of humans to a volatile organic mixture. I. Behavioral assessment. Arch Environ Health 1992; 47: 2330.
22. Douglas JWB, Ross JM. The effects of absence on primary school performance. Br J Educ Psychol 1965; 35: 2840.
23. Weitzman M, Klerman LV, Lamb G, Menary J, Alpert JJ. School absence: a problem for the pediatrician. Pediatrics 1982; 69: 739746.
24. ONeil SL, Barysh N, Setear SJ. Determining school programming needs of special population groups: a study of asthmatic children. J Sch Health 1985; 55: 237239.
25. Silverstein MD, Mair JE, Katusic SK, Wollan PC, OConnell EJ, Yunginger JW. School attendance and school performance: a population-based study of children with asthma. J Pediatr 2001; 139: 278283.
26. Pilotto LS, Douglas RM, Attewell RG, Wilson SR. Respiratory effects associated with indoor nitrogen dioxide exposure in children. Int J Epidemiol 1997; 26: 788796.
27. Fabian MP, Miller SL, Reponen T, Hernandez MT. Ambient bioaerosol indices for indoor air quality assessments of flood reclamation. J Aerosol Sci 2005; 36: 763783.
28. Franchi M, Carrer P. Indoor air quality in schools: the EFA project. Monaldi Arch Chest Dis 2002; 57: 120122.
29. Liu LJ, Krahmer M, Fox A, Feigley CE, Featherstone A, Saraf A, Larsson L. Investigation of the concentration of bacteria and their cell envelope components in indoor air in two elementary schools. J Air Waste Manag Assoc 2000; 50: 19571967.
30. Kim KY, Kim CN. Airborne microbiological characteristics in public buildings of Korea. Build Environ 2007; 42: 21882196.
31. Bates JM, Mahaffy DJ. Relationship of reported allergy symptoms, relative humidity, and airborne biologicals in thirteen Florida classrooms. Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, Nagoya, Japan; 1996.
32. Lee SC, Chang M. Indoor and outdoor air quality investigation at schools in Hong Kong. Chemosphere 2000; 41: 109113.
33. Rao CY, Burge HA, Chang JCS. Review of quantitative standards and guidelines for fungi in indoor air. J Air Waste Manag Assoc 1996; 46: 899908.