BACKGROUND
Built environment impacts both on physical health and emotional wellbeing of nowadays society. In that regard, air quality is the key element as it is not possible to have healthy built environment without healthy indoor air. This is especially relevant for children who are more susceptible to indoor air pollutants. Schools represent an environment where children spend long hours every day. Existing ventilation strategies in schools typically depend on natural ventilation or mixing mechanical ventilation, which are not fully capable of dealing with both long-range and short-range pollutants. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic vividly illustrated deficiencies of buildings for traditional technical solutions for achieving good indoor air prominently demonstrated in school buildings. While some solutions are actionable at this moment, it is necessary to develop pandemic-related science-based and practice-oriented guidelines on the safe operation of indoor spaces.
AIMS AND SCOPE
This workshop is intended for various experts in indoor air quality (public health authorities, engineers, buildings and facilities management, architects, researchers, students). The workshop will join key experts involved in the most relevant studies in school environments, namely UPTECH (Australia), BREATHE, ARIA and EnVIRH (southern Europe), SINPHONIE, and InAirQ (western and central Europe). It aims to summarize knowledge on IAQ in schools obtained
to this point, considering differences in geography, climate and culture with discussion on necessary scientific actions in the foreseeable future. The experts will address the challenges that school environment represents for children health. Particular attention will also be given to the role of indoor aerosols in child environments, ventilation needs to control the disease transmission and mitigation/preventive actions for the optimal management of indoor air in child environments in the context of the current and future situation
PRESENTATIONS
Indoor air quality in schools: multiple challenges to protect the health of our children
Professor Lídia Morawska International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health (WHO CC for Air Quality and Health) Queensland University of Technolo
What do we know on IA studies in different child environments
Dr. Joana Madureira EPIUnit, Institute of Public Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
Indoor air quality, associated health effects and health risks in Central-European primary schools
Dr. Tamas Szigeti National Public Health Center, Budapest, Hungary
Airborne transmission of respiratory viruses in schools: the role of the ventilation
Professor Luca Stabile Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, Italy
Preventing outdoor air infiltration in schools and the need of ventilation: examples of the schools from Barcelona, Spain
Professor Xavier Querol Spanish National Research Council Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, Department of Geosciences, Barcelona, Spain
