Publication
Title
Indoor air quality assessment of elementary schools in Curitiba, Brazil
Author
Abstract
The promotion of good indoor air quality in schools is of particular public concern for two main reasons: (1) school-age children spend at least 30% of their time inside classrooms and (2) indoor air quality in urban areas is substantially influenced by the outdoor pollutants, exposing tenants to potentially toxic substances. Two schools in Curitiba, Brazil, were selected to characterize the gaseous compounds indoor and outdoor of the classrooms. The concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and the isomers xylenes (BTEX); NO2; SO2; O3; acetic acid (HAc); and formic acid (HFor) were assessed using passive diffusion tubes. BTEX were analyzed by gas chromatographyion trap mass spectrometry and other collected gasses by ion chromatography. The concentration of NO2 varied between 9.5 and 23 µg m−3, whereas SO2 showed an interval from 0.1 to 4.8 µg m−3. Within the schools, BTEX concentrations were predominant. Formic and acetic acids inside the classrooms revealed intermediate concentrations of 1.5 µg m−3 and 1.2 µg m−3, respectively.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Water, air, and soil pollution : focus. - Dordrecht
Publication
Dordrecht : 2009
ISSN
1567-7230
DOI
10.1007/S11267-009-9220-3
Volume/pages
9 :3/4 (2009) , p. 171-177
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Record
Identifier
Creation 12.02.2010
Last edited 07.10.2022
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