doi: 10.18178/ijesd.2025.16.3.1529
Assessing Indoor and Outdoor PM10 Levels in School: Insights from a Case Study
João Garcia1,2,3,*
,
Rita Cerdeira4
- 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lisbon Superior Institute of Engineering, R. Conselheiro Emídio Navarro 1, 1959-007 Lisbon, Portugal
- 2UnIRE, ISEL, Polytechnic University of Lisbon, Rua Conselheiro Emídio Navarro 1, 1959-007 Lisbon, Portugal
- 3MARE-IPS, Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Escola Superior de Tecnologia, Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, Campus do IPS – Estefanilha, 2910-761, Setúbal, Portugal
- 4Department of Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, Escola Superior de Tecnologia, Portugal
- Manuscript receivedMarch 8, 2025
- revisedMarch 31, 2025
- acceptedApril 25, 2025
- publishedJune 10, 2025
Abstract
This study investigates the relationship betweenindoor and outdoor (Particulate Matter 10) PM10concentrations in two schools in Barreiro, Portugal: PrimarySchool No. 5 and D. Luís Mendonça Furtado Basic School. Theprimary objective is to assess the influence of both external andinternal sources on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in schoolenvironments. Monitoring campaigns were conducted acrossvarious indoor spaces, including classrooms, the gymnasium,and the canteen, with results compared to outdoor PM10 levels.At Primary School No. 5, indoor PM10 concentrations wereconsistently higher than outdoor values measured on Avenidado Bocage, with an average Indoor/Outdoor (I/O) ratio of 2.2,highlighting the strong impact of indoor activities on particulatematter levels. Similarly, at D. Luís Mendonça Furtado BasicSchool, PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations increased significantlyduring school hours, peaking at an I/O ratio of 3.04 on schooldays. Conversely, during evenings and weekends, when thespaces were unoccupied, particle concentrations droppedsubstantially, reaching an I/O ratio of 0.70. These findingsunderscore the critical role of indoor activities in elevatingPM10 levels and emphasize the urgent need for effectiveventilation and pollution control strategies in schools tosafeguard the health of students and staff.
Keywords
- Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
- PM concentrations
- School air pollution
How to Cite
João Garcia and Rita Cerdeira, "Assessing Indoor and Outdoor PM10 Levels in School: Insights from a Case Study," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 226-233, 2025. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijesd.2025.16.3.1529
Copyright & License
Copyright © 2025 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).