Indoor Air Quality in Classroom Labs

The indoor air quality of buildings is more than a comfort factor for their occupants. Breathing in polluted air has negative effects on the well-being of indoor occupants and can result in serious illness or even death. And this is all the more significant as the time these people spend inside interior spaces. Nowadays, we know that this time is preponderant. It is therefore essential to ensure good air quality in the workplace by eliminating risk factors. The main objective of this study was to monitor the indoor air quality of the laboratories of a higher education establishment before, during and after its normal activity, as well as to analyze the symptoms perceived by occupants of these spaces. We found PM2.5, PM10, VOC and CH2O concentration averages recorded in some laboratories studied that exceeded the protection limits. The most prevalent symptoms were allergies, followed by the symptoms of “asthma”, “bronchitis”, “allergies” and “thyroidism”. In this study, it was concluded that action is needed to improve the quality of indoor air in the educational labs, since there were air pollutants on average higher than the legally established values, as was the case of PM2.5, PM10, CH2O e TCOV. It is essential that institutions implement continuous monitoring in order not to expose occupants to hazardous conditions.