A survey of indoor air quality conditions in bedrooms of Dutch daycare centers

A daycare center (DCC) is the most important indoor environment for young children besides their homes, where they keep the habit of daytime sleeping. They are vulnerable and susceptible to the health effects of airborne contaminants. Therefore, it is essential to keep a healthy indoor sleeping environment for young children in daycare centers. However, only a few studies have analyzed indoor air quality (IAQ) in bedrooms of DCCs. This study aims to learn more about the IAQ of bedrooms of DCCs through a field survey and analyzing CO2 concentration data. The field survey was conducted to collect detailed information on occupants and bedroom design with the ventilation system. It is found that around 60% of the bedrooms do not meet the requirement of airflow rate according to Dutch Building Code. Also, ventilation systems in bedrooms are not designed according to room geometry, number of occupants, and their ages. As for the analysis of CO2 concentration, it is found that 39% of the bedrooms have reported CO2 concentrations higher than 1000 ppm with a daily average time of 111 minutes. According to those findings, the status of the DCCs’ IAQ is not satisfying and needs further improvement.