KMID : 0358520070190010065
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Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2007 Volume.19 No. 1 p.65 ~ p.72
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The Effects of Indoor Air Quality on the Neurobehavioral Performance of Elementary School Children
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Kim Dae-Seop
Sakong Joon Kim Chang-Yoon Park Si-Young Kim Sun-Ju Jeon Man-Joong Kim Gyu-Tae Chung Jong-Hak Baek Sung-Ok
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Abstract
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Objectives: Most studies on the indoor air quality of newly built schools have focused only on the number of schools exceeding a standard or on subjective symptoms, such as sneezing, irritated eyes and an irritated nose. However, there has been no report on how poor indoor air quality affects children¡¯s academic performance. This study evaluated the effects of indoor air quality on the neurobehavioral performance of elementary school children.
Methods: This study measured the indoor air pollutants and compared children¡¯s performance, using a computerized neurobehavioral test, between a newly built and a 12-year-old school. In addition, a questionnaire was administered regarding the indoor air quality related symptoms of children in a newly built and a 12-year-old school.
Results: In the newly built school, the formaldehyde levels in the 1st and 4th classes with an open window were 34.6 and 27.3 microgram/m3, respectively. The levels in the 1st and 4th classes with the window closed were 80.2 and 127.1 microgram/m3, respectively. In the 12-year-old school, the formaldehyde levels in 1st and 4th class with open and closed window were 12.6 and 7.5 microgram/m3, and 19.8 and 25.2 microgram/m3, respectively. With respect to total volatile organic compounds, the levels in the 1st and 4th classes with the window open in the newly built school were 87.2 and 428.2 microgram/m3, respectively. In the 1st and 4th classes with the window closed, the total volatile organic compounds were 1,283.5 and 1,715.4 microgram/m3, respectively. In the 12-year-old school, the total volatile organic compounds were 240.9 and 150.8 microgram/m3, and 371.9 and 448.0 microgram/m3 in the 1st and 4th classes, respectively. In the case of a newly built school, the performance of the students in the neurobehavioral test in the 4th class with the window closed was 8.3% lower than for those in the 1st class with the window closed, but was only 5.9% lower when the windows were open. There was a statistical significant difference in the total numbers of symptoms between the two schools.
Conclusions: These results suggest a proper evaluation of the indoor air quality within schools is required into both the level of contamination and the health effects of these contaminants toward children.
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KEYWORD
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Indoor Air Quality, Neurobehavioral Performance test
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