Monitoring of volatile organic compounds in different schools: a determinant of the indoor air quality

Children are more vulnerable to indoor pollutants as they spend most of their time at homes or in schools. The exposure to organic air pollutants in these microenvironments can have an adverse impact on their health and performance. Exposure to the volatile organic pollutants in nine schools located in different areas of Kuwait was investigated. The schools which offer formal education to different age-groups were selected for this study, and these schools were located in different urban areas characterized as industrial, vehicular, and residential. Samples were taken from schools for 8 and 24 h during weekdays and weekends. All VOCs were collected by canister passive sampling and analyzed using an Entech pre-concentrator and gas chromatography/flame ionization detector. Seventy-two VOCs were investigated and classified into four groups: aliphatics, aromatics, oxygenated, and halogenated. The concentration of VOCs indoors and outdoors was determined, and the indoor-to-outdoor (I/O) ratio was calculated. This I/O ratio was used as to assess the indoor air quality of the schools monitored. In general, the oxygenated group concentration was higher indoors than outdoors. The variation in the concentration of VOCs was influenced by the characteristics of the area sampled. Some schools were found to have a high indoor contribution, while others had a prevalent outdoor contribution.