Binnenluchtkwaliteit in basisscholen

Resumen

De minister van Ruimte en Milieu vroeg - mede namens haar collega’s voor Wonen, Wijken en Integratie, van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschappen en van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport–aan de Gezondheidsraad welke kennis er is over de invloed van het binnenmilieu in scholen op de gezondheid en de cognitieve prestaties van kinderen. De minister legde de raad vijf vragen voor, die hierna achtereenvolgens kort beantwoord worden. In het verlengde van de kabinetsvisie over het binnenmilieu op basisscholen richt dit advies zich primair op leerlingen van basisscholen.

Abstract

Indoor air quality in primary schools On request of the minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment the Health Council of the Netherlands drafted an advisory report on the quality of indoor air in primary schools. The report presents current scientific knowledge of the effect of the indoor environment of primary schools on the health and cognitive performance of pupils. The Committee notes that primary school pupils may be exposed to various indoor environmental factors in their classrooms which could have adverse effects on their physical health and cognitive performance. This mainly concerns particulate matter, pathogens, allergens, high temperature and noise. The emphasis in the request for an advisory report was on carbon dioxide (CO₂) as a measure of ventilation and air quality. The Committee takes the view that the usefulness of CO₂ as a measure of the indoor air quality is limited, but considers it to be a good indicator of ventilation. For classrooms the available scientific data are limited and according to the Committee they provide no grounds for deviating from the present CO₂ concentration of 1200 ppm, which has been adopted in the present Building Decree as the basis for ventilation requirements for new buildings. Given that average CO₂ concentrations of 2000 ppm occur in classrooms, many schools ought to increase ventilation to keep CO₂ concentrations below 1200 ppm. However, ventilation can also lead to secondary effects such as draught, noise nuisance or health effects as a result of dust from the ventilation system’s supply air filters. The Committee therefore calls for clean ventilation air and proper ventilation facilities as well as information on how to use them properly.