Monitoring Indoor Air Quality in Classrooms Using Low-Cost Sensors: Does the Perception of Teachers Match Reality?
This study intended to understand whether teachers’ perceptions of indoor air quality (IAQ) during classes aligned with the real levels of air pollutants and comfort parameters. For this purpose, an IAQ monitoring survey based on low-cost sensors using a multi-parameter approach was carried out in n...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/15/12/1450 |
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| author | Nuno Canha Carolina Correia Sergio Mendez Carla A. Gamelas Miguel Felizardo |
| author_facet | Nuno Canha Carolina Correia Sergio Mendez Carla A. Gamelas Miguel Felizardo |
| author_sort | Nuno Canha |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study intended to understand whether teachers’ perceptions of indoor air quality (IAQ) during classes aligned with the real levels of air pollutants and comfort parameters. For this purpose, an IAQ monitoring survey based on low-cost sensors using a multi-parameter approach was carried out in nine classrooms (a total of 171 monitored classes) in a Portuguese school. In each monitored class, the perception of IAQ reported by the teacher was assessed using a scale from 1 (very bad IAQ) to 10 (very good IAQ). Several exceedances regarding national legislation were found, with temperature being the parameter with a higher percentage of exceedance in all the studied classrooms (46%), followed by PM<sub>10</sub> (32%), and then CO<sub>2</sub> (27%). Temperature was found to be the only environmental parameter that was significantly associated with lower IAQ perception reported by the teachers, highlighting that typical pollutants such as CO<sub>2</sub> (which can be identified as stuffy air) did not contribute to the teachers’ perceptions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-40011bd08ea049b5968ea4e891fed86c |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj-art-40011bd08ea049b5968ea4e891fed86c2025-08-20T02:56:05ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332024-12-011512145010.3390/atmos15121450Monitoring Indoor Air Quality in Classrooms Using Low-Cost Sensors: Does the Perception of Teachers Match Reality?Nuno Canha0Carolina Correia1Sergio Mendez2Carla A. Gamelas3Miguel Felizardo4HyLab—Green Hydrogen Collaborative Laboratory, Estrada Nacional 120-1 Central Termoeléctrica, 7520-089 Sines, PortugalCentro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares (C2TN), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada Nacional 10, Km 139.7, 2695-066 Bobadela LRS, PortugalCentro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares (C2TN), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada Nacional 10, Km 139.7, 2695-066 Bobadela LRS, PortugalCentro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares (C2TN), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada Nacional 10, Km 139.7, 2695-066 Bobadela LRS, PortugalCentro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares (C2TN), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada Nacional 10, Km 139.7, 2695-066 Bobadela LRS, PortugalThis study intended to understand whether teachers’ perceptions of indoor air quality (IAQ) during classes aligned with the real levels of air pollutants and comfort parameters. For this purpose, an IAQ monitoring survey based on low-cost sensors using a multi-parameter approach was carried out in nine classrooms (a total of 171 monitored classes) in a Portuguese school. In each monitored class, the perception of IAQ reported by the teacher was assessed using a scale from 1 (very bad IAQ) to 10 (very good IAQ). Several exceedances regarding national legislation were found, with temperature being the parameter with a higher percentage of exceedance in all the studied classrooms (46%), followed by PM<sub>10</sub> (32%), and then CO<sub>2</sub> (27%). Temperature was found to be the only environmental parameter that was significantly associated with lower IAQ perception reported by the teachers, highlighting that typical pollutants such as CO<sub>2</sub> (which can be identified as stuffy air) did not contribute to the teachers’ perceptions.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/15/12/1450indoor air qualitylow-cost sensorsschoolsventilationperception |
| spellingShingle | Nuno Canha Carolina Correia Sergio Mendez Carla A. Gamelas Miguel Felizardo Monitoring Indoor Air Quality in Classrooms Using Low-Cost Sensors: Does the Perception of Teachers Match Reality? Atmosphere indoor air quality low-cost sensors schools ventilation perception |
| title | Monitoring Indoor Air Quality in Classrooms Using Low-Cost Sensors: Does the Perception of Teachers Match Reality? |
| title_full | Monitoring Indoor Air Quality in Classrooms Using Low-Cost Sensors: Does the Perception of Teachers Match Reality? |
| title_fullStr | Monitoring Indoor Air Quality in Classrooms Using Low-Cost Sensors: Does the Perception of Teachers Match Reality? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Monitoring Indoor Air Quality in Classrooms Using Low-Cost Sensors: Does the Perception of Teachers Match Reality? |
| title_short | Monitoring Indoor Air Quality in Classrooms Using Low-Cost Sensors: Does the Perception of Teachers Match Reality? |
| title_sort | monitoring indoor air quality in classrooms using low cost sensors does the perception of teachers match reality |
| topic | indoor air quality low-cost sensors schools ventilation perception |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/15/12/1450 |
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