On 12 April, a seminar entitled ‘Indoor Air Quality in School Environments’ was held at the I.I.S.S. ‘Galileo Galilei’ in Bolzano, in which students from the ‘Chemistry and Environmental and Health Biotechnology’ course of the ‘Galileo Galilei’ Technical Institute and the ‘Construction-Territory-Environment’ course of the ITCAT ‘A. and P. Delai’ presented the first results of the air quality monitoring carried out inside school premises. The study, coordinated by Prof. Modonese and Prof. Pellizzari, aims to determine indoor air quality and the variables by which it is affected.
Eco Research promoted and collaborated on the monitoring by taking care of the classroom and laboratory training of the students to carry out air sampling and analysis. The analyses concerned: determining the concentration of CO2, TVOC (total volatile organic compounds), aldehydes, PM 10 and PM 2.5 particulate matter, measuring temperature and relative humidity, and the effectiveness of air purifiers. The results of the monitoring enabled the development of a strategy of actions to improve the quality of the air we breathe indoors, with positive repercussions on the health of students, teachers and school staff..
Prof. Settimo of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, host of the event, enriched the seminar by discussing the correct strategies to monitor indoor air in school structures, useful both for the correct measurement, acquisition, verification, and evaluation of biochemical pollutants, and for the development of specific prevention protocols. As clarified by Prof. Settimo, even though reference values to establish indoor air quality are not established at a legislative level, it is important to elaborate technical-scientific documents to support harmonized actions, but mostly to train the technicians of the future on this topic, given the growing importance of health issues related to air quality.
