Indoor air quality in day-care centres: a global review

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Abstract

A healthy indoor environment is critical for children due to the severe effect of poor indoor air quality (IAQ) on their overall well-being. Day-care centres (DCCs) are important indoor microenvironments for children apart from their homes. Therefore, monitoring IAQ in this microenvironment is vital because of the vulnerability of the occupants. This review gives a global overview of the predominant indoor chemical pollutant levels monitored in DCCs, compares their concentration with available regulations for IAQ, evaluates the sources and health risk effects of chemical pollutants and proposes strategies for enhancing IAQ in DCCs. Thirty-seven (37) articles were used based on specific stated inclusion and exclusion criteria. Continents like Europe and Asia have the most published studies in indoor DCCs. The decreasing trend of pollutants examined in most studies include particulate matter > carbon dioxide > formaldehyde > carbon monoxide > total volatile organic compounds > volatile organic compounds > nitrogen dioxide > ozone > benzene > sulphur dioxide = radon. Particulate matter in the size and mass concentration range of PM ₁₀ (0.116–1920.71 μg/m ³) > PM _2.5 (0.279.2–260.74 μg/m ³) was the most investigated pollutant. While nitrogen dioxide, radon and carbon monoxide were consistent with the existing national and international reference values for IAQ across the continents, exceedances occurred in other pollutants. The limited number of indoor chemical pollutant studies suggests the need for more comprehensive studies on IAQ in DCC globally. Further studies should highlight the availability of low-cost sensors and mobile analytical equipment that will promote affordable ground-level data accessibility.

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The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11869-023-01320-5.

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Environmental and Health Impacts of Air Pollution: A Review

Ioannis Manisalidis, Elisavet Stavropoulou, Agathangelos Stavropoulos … (2020)

One of our era's greatest scourges is air pollution, on account not only of its impact on climate change but also its impact on public and individual health due to increasing morbidity and mortality. There are many pollutants that are major factors in disease in humans. Among them, Particulate Matter (PM), particles of variable but very small diameter, penetrate the respiratory system via inhalation, causing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, reproductive and central nervous system dysfunctions, and cancer. Despite the fact that ozone in the stratosphere plays a protective role against ultraviolet irradiation, it is harmful when in high concentration at ground level, also affecting the respiratory and cardiovascular system. Furthermore, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), dioxins, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are all considered air pollutants that are harmful to humans. Carbon monoxide can even provoke direct poisoning when breathed in at high levels. Heavy metals such as lead, when absorbed into the human body, can lead to direct poisoning or chronic intoxication, depending on exposure. Diseases occurring from the aforementioned substances include principally respiratory problems such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), asthma, bronchiolitis, and also lung cancer, cardiovascular events, central nervous system dysfunctions, and cutaneous diseases. Last but not least, climate change resulting from environmental pollution affects the geographical distribution of many infectious diseases, as do natural disasters. The only way to tackle this problem is through public awareness coupled with a multidisciplinary approach by scientific experts; national and international organizations must address the emergence of this threat and propose sustainable solutions.

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A future for the world's children? A WHO–UNICEF–Lancet Commission

Helen Clark, Awa Marie Coll-Seck, Anshu Banerjee … (2020)

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Indoor air humidity, air quality, and health - An overview.

Peder Wolkoff (2018)

There is a long-standing dispute about indoor air humidity and perceived indoor air quality (IAQ) and associated health effects. Complaints about sensory irritation in eyes and upper airways are generally among top-two symptoms together with the perception "dry air" in office environments. This calls for an integrated analysis of indoor air humidity and eye and airway health effects. This overview has reviewed the literature about the effects of extended exposure to low humidity on perceived IAQ, sensory irritation symptoms in eyes and airways, work performance, sleep quality, virus survival, and voice disruption. Elevation of the indoor air humidity may positively impact perceived IAQ, eye symptomatology, and possibly work performance in the office environment; however, mice inhalation studies do not show exacerbation of sensory irritation in the airways by low humidity. Elevated humidified indoor air appears to reduce nasal symptoms in patients suffering from obstructive apnea syndrome, while no clear improvement on voice production has been identified, except for those with vocal fatigue. Both low and high RH, and perhaps even better absolute humidity (water vapor), favors transmission and survival of influenza virus in many studies, but the relationship between temperature, humidity, and the virus and aerosol dynamics is complex, which in the end depends on the individual virus type and its physical/chemical properties. Dry and humid air perception continues to be reported in offices and in residential areas, despite the IAQ parameter "dry air" (or "wet/humid air") is semantically misleading, because a sensory organ for humidity is non-existing in humans. This IAQ parameter appears to reflect different perceptions among other odor, dustiness, and possibly exacerbated by desiccation effect of low air humidity. It is salient to distinguish between indoor air humidity (relative or absolute) near the breathing and ocular zone and phenomena caused by moisture-damage of the building construction and emissions therefrom. Further, residential versus public environments should be considered as separate entities with different characteristics and demands of humidity. Research is needed about particle, bacteria and virus dynamics indoors for improvement of quality of life and with more focus on the impact of absolute humidity. "Dry (or wet) air" should be redefined to become a meaningful IAQ descriptor.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Winifred U. Anake:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8377-7629

winifred.anake@covenantuniversity.edu.ng

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Air Qual Atmos Health

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Air Qual Atmos Health

Title: Air Quality, Atmosphere, & Health

Publisher: Springer Netherlands (Dordrecht )

ISSN (Print): 1873-9318

ISSN (Electronic): 1873-9326

Publication date (Electronic): 15 February 2023

Pages: 1-26

Affiliations

GRID grid.411932.c, ISNI 0000 0004 1794 8359, Department of Chemistry, College of Science & Technology, , Covenant University, ; Km10 Idiroko Road, Ota, Nigeria

Author information

Winifred U. Anake http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8377-7629

Article

Publisher ID: 1320

DOI: 10.1007/s11869-023-01320-5

PMC ID: 9930043

PubMed ID: 36819788

SO-VID: 49b583ae-ad5d-44a1-bc4f-d15452ffb0ff

Copyright © © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2023, Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

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This article is made available via the PMC Open Access Subset for unrestricted research re-use and secondary analysis in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.

Indoor air quality in day-care centres: a global review

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Most cited references 92

Environmental and Health Impacts of Air Pollution: A Review

A future for the world's children? A WHO–UNICEF–Lancet Commission

Indoor air humidity, air quality, and health - An overview.

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