William H. Farquhar Middle School, Olney, MD. Photo credit: Patrick Ross
School Health Research Library
We have curated a library of peer-reviewed scientific studies from around the world published since 2016, focusing on the school built environment and occupant health and performance. This research builds on the 2017 Schools for Health: Foundations for Student Success report released by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health that synthesizes foundational research about school indoor environmental quality impacts on students and staff.
To help translate this research into action in schools, we have compiled School Health Research Highlights to help school staff and leaders access key findings and actionable strategies on priority topics.
Displaying 251 - 260 of 355 | Export entire research library
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in Portuguese educational settings: a comparison between preschools and elementary schools
Slezakova, Klara
Indoor concentrations at PS and ES were significantly different, with total
levels (ΣPAHs) 0.721–15.9 ng/m3 at PS1–PS2 and 5.03–23.6 ng/m3 at ES1–ES5. The corresponding outdoor concentrations were, respectively, 1.22–32.7 ng/m3 and 2.6–31.5…
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Associations of Cognitive Function Scores with Carbon Dioxide, Ventilation, and Volatile Organic Compound Exposures in Office Workers: A Controlled Exposure Study of Green and Conventional Office Environments
Allen, Joseph
On average, cognitive scores were 61% better under Green+ building conditions than in the conventional building conditions for all nine functional domains. These findings have wide ranging implications because this study was designed to reflect…
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Assessment of formaldehyde levels in relation to respiratory and allergic symptoms in children from Alba County schools, Romania
Neamtiu, Iulia
The indoor formaldehyde levels for a school week varied between 15.5 and 66.2 μg/m3, with a median value of 34.8 μg/m3. The adjusted odds ratios for allergy-like, asthma-like, and flu-like symptoms were 3.23 (95% CI 1.31–8.00), 2.69 (95% CI 1.04–6.…
Keywords: Exposure, Formaldehyde levels, Indoor air quality, Respiratory and allergic symptoms, School children
Review and Extension of CO2-Based Methods to Determine Ventilation Rates with Application to School Classrooms
Batterman, Stuart
VRs during the school day fell below recommended minimum levels, and VRs during evening and early morning were on the order of 0.1 h1, reflecting shutdown of the ventilation systems. The transient mass balance method was the most flexible and…
Keywords: Ventilation, Air change rate (ACH/AER), Carbon dioxide (CO2), School, Classrooms, Indoor air quality
Survey of radon testing and mitigation by Wisconsin residents, landlords, and school districts
Denu, Ryan
35.1% of Wisconsin school districts (78/222) have tested their schools for radon. Of
homeowners with elevated radon, about 60% mitigated. School districts whose radon levels tested high most commonly did not mitigate, with costs and/or lack of…
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On the seasonal aerosol pollution levels and its sources in some primary schools in Vilnius, Lithuania
Prokopciuk, Nina
The main sources responsible for the elevated levels of indoor PN and PM aerosol concentrations were determined: local canteens in the absence of ventilation (particle concentrations up to 97,500 part/cm3 (CPC)), the school-grader activity during…
Keywords: Primary schools, Indoor/outdoor aerosol, Pollution levels, Systematic sources, Occasional sources, Ventilation
Oxidative capacity and hemolytic activity of settled dust from moisture-damaged schools
Huttunen, Kati
he moisture observations in the schools were associated with some of the microbial components in the dust, and microbial determinants grouped together increased the oxidative capacity. Oxidative capacity was also affected by particle concentration…
Keywords: Hemolysis, Microbes, Moisture, Oxidative capacity, Reactive oxygen species, Settled dust.
Estimation of students' exposure to metal concentrations from river-dust episodes during 1994–2012
Yang, Hao-Jan
Significant relationships (p < 0.01) were found between outdoor PM10 concentrations at Lunbei’s air quality monitoring station and the two elementary schools. The outdoor PM10 concentrations at the monitoring station and the schools’ indoor PM10…
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Predicting environmental risk factors in relation to health outcomes among school children from Romania using random forest model - An analysis of data from the SINPHONIE project
Lin, Ziqiang
About one-third of the participants reported at least one health symptom in the past week. The most common respiratory symptoms reported among Romanian school children were the flu-like symptoms (30.4%), the most frequent being runny nose (20%). The…
Keywords: Children, Exposure, Health outcomes, Logistic regression, Machine learning
The exposure of children to PM 2.5 and dust in indoor and outdoor school classrooms in Kuala Lumpur City Centre
Othman, Murnira
This study showed that the average indoor and outdoor 24 h PM2.5 was 11.2 ± 0.45 µg m−3 and 11.4 ± 0.44 µg m−3 respectively. The 8 h PM2.5 concentration ranged between 3.2 and 28 µg m−3 for indoor and 3.2 and 19 µg m−3 for outdoor classrooms. The…
Keywords: Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), School environment, Indoor and outdoor dust, Health risk assessment