Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Sep 15;18(18):9712.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18189712.

Practical Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort in Kindergartens. A Case Study of Slovenia

Vesna Lovec  1 , Miroslav Premrov  1 , Vesna Žegarac Leskovar  1
Affiliations

Practical Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort in Kindergartens. A Case Study of Slovenia

Vesna Lovec et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The experimental monitoring of carbon dioxide concentration was carried out in kindergartens in Slovenia, together with indoor air temperature and relative humidity, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the research was to estimate the practical impact of the pandemic on indoor air quality and thermal comfort. The case study sample included buildings with different architectural typology, which are predominantly present in the building stock of Slovenia. The monitoring process lasted for 125 days before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results have shown a better indoor air quality in kindergartens during the pandemic, mostly due to ventilation protocols and almost imperceptibly changed indoor air temperature. The COVID-19 pandemic affected air quality in kindergarten classrooms in Slovenia by reducing the average carbon dioxide concentration when children were present in classrooms by 30%.

Keywords: COVID-19; IAQ; kindergartens; thermal comfort.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Kindergarten classroom, 2A measured interval.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Benchtop display data logger rotronic CL11 unit.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Measured parameters before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (CO2—carbon dioxide average concentration, T—air temperature, H—relative humidity; 2019–2020 A—first measuring period, 2020–2021—second measuring period).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Karkour S., Itsubo N. Influence of the Covid-19 crisis on global PM2.5 concentration and related health impacts. Sustainability. 2020;12:5297. doi: 10.3390/su12135297. - DOI
    1. Debone D., da Costa M.V., Miraglia S.G.E.K. 90 days of COVID-19 social distancing and its impacts on air quality and health in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Sustainability. 2020;12:7440. doi: 10.3390/su12187440. - DOI
    1. Berman J.D., Ebisu K. Changes in U.S. air pollution during the COVID-19 pandemic. [(accessed on 8 September 2020)];Sci. Total. Environ. 2020 739:139864. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139864. Available online: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0048969720333842?token=AB96DC.... - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alonso A., Llanos J., Escandón R., Sendra J.J. Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on indoor air quality and thermal comfort of primary schools in winter in a Mediterraneanclimate. Sustainability. 2021;13:2699. doi: 10.3390/su13052699. - DOI
    1. Predescu L., Dunea D. Performance evaluation of particulate matter and indoor microclimate monitors in university classrooms under COVID-19 restrictions. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2021;18:7363. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18147363. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types