Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Managing Indoor Air Quality in a Kindergarten: CO2 and PM2.5 Concentrations

Doyeon Lee
,
Younghun Kim
ORCID logo ,
Kee-Jung Hong
,
Gunhee Lee
,
Hak-Joon Kim
ORCID logo ,
Dongho Shin
* ,
Bangwoo Han
*
Version 1 : Received: 18 September 2023 / Approved: 18 September 2023 / Online: 19 September 2023 (03:31:15 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Lee, D.; Kim, Y.; Hong, K.-J.; Lee, G.; Kim, H.-J.; Shin, D.; Han, B. Strategies for Effective Management of Indoor Air Quality in a Kindergarten: CO2 and Fine Particulate Matter Concentrations. Toxics 2023, 11, 931. Lee, D.; Kim, Y.; Hong, K.-J.; Lee, G.; Kim, H.-J.; Shin, D.; Han, B. Strategies for Effective Management of Indoor Air Quality in a Kindergarten: CO2 and Fine Particulate Matter Concentrations. Toxics 2023, 11, 931.

Abstract

The educational and play-related activities of children are proceeded mainly indoors in a kin-dergarten. The exposure of children to high concentrations of PM2.5 and CO2 indoors have leaded to various harmful effects and negatively impact educational outcomes in a kindergarten. Therefore, this study presents a numerical model of CO2 and PM2.5 concentration based on two classrooms in a kindergarten. Using this numerical model, we present different scenarios of oper-ating mechanical ventilation and air purifiers in kindergartens with the aim of optimizing for reducing the concentrations of CO2 and PM2.5. We found that the amount of ventilation required to maintain good air quality, per child, was approximately 20.4 m3/h. However, we also found that as the amount of ventilation increased, so did the concentration of indoor PM2.5; we found that this issue can be resolved through the use of a high-grade filter (i.e., a MERV 13 grade filter with a collection efficiency of 75%). This study provides a scientific basis for reducing PM2.5concentrations in kindergartens, while keeping CO2 levels low.

Keywords

Kindergarten; CO2; PM2.5; Mechanical Ventilation; Indoor Air Quality; Numerical model

Subject

Public Health and Healthcare, Public, Environmental and Occupational Health

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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