Burridge, HC, Bontitsopoulos, S, Brown, C et al. (7 more authors) (2023) Variations in classroom ventilation during the COVID-19 pandemic: Insights from monitoring 36 naturally ventilated classrooms in the UK during 2021. Journal of Building Engineering, 63. 105459. ISSN 2352-7102
Abstract
Seasonal changes in the measured CO2 levels at four schools are herein presented through a set of indoor air quality metrics that were gathered during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. Data from non-intrusive environmental monitoring units were remotely collected throughout 2021 from 36 naturally ventilated classrooms at two primary schools and two secondary schools in England. Measurements were analysed to assess the indoor CO2 concentration and temperature . Relative to UK school air quality guidance, the CO2 levels within classrooms remained relatively low during periods of warmer weather, with elevated CO2 levels being evident during the colder seasons, indicating lower levels of per person ventilation during these colder periods. However, CO2 data from the cold period during the latter part of 2021, imply that the per person classroom ventilation levels were significantly lower than those achieved during a similarly cold weather period during the early part of the year. Given that the classroom architecture and usage remained unchanged, this finding suggests that changes in the ventilation behaviours within the classrooms may have altered, and raises questions as to what may have given rise to such change, in a year when, messaging and public concerns regarding COVID-19 varied within the UK. Significant variations were observed when contrasting data, both between schools, and between classrooms within the same school building; suggesting that work is required to understand and catalogue the existing ventilation provisions and architecture within UK classrooms, and that more work is required to ascertain the effects of classroom ventilation behaviours.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
Keywords: | Airborne disease transmission; CO2 monitors; COVID-19; Indoor air quality; Infection risk; Natural ventilation; Primary & secondary education; UK schools |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Civil Engineering (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Psychology (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number NIHR National Inst Health Research Not Known NIHR National Inst Health Research Not Known MRC (Medical Research Council) UKPRP M20072 NIHR National Inst Health Research R&D ARC M20086 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 17 Mar 2023 13:31 |
Last Modified: | 17 Mar 2023 13:31 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.jobe.2022.105459 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:194080 |