IAQ evaluation in kindergarten: the Italian case of Asilo Diana

Indoor air quality (IAQ) analysis takes into consideration several pollutants: chemical and biological elements, moisture, carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), dust, etc. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is strictly related to people’s breathing, age, kind of activity and crowding in a building and it can be used as an IAQ index. In this paper, we describe CO2 evaluation and IAQ perception in a kindergarten attended by 4- and 5-year-old children and located in Reggio Emilia (Italy). We report monitoring results based on two different indicators: (a) CO2 concentration measured and monitored in the classrooms and (b) children’s IAQ perception evaluated with a questionnaire. This new approach involves a psycho-pedagogical aspect of IAQ: how do children perceive IAQ? Can their behaviour or opinion represent a CO2 marker? The questionnaire helped us in understanding children’s IAQ perception. The comparison between the subjective judgment resulting from the questionnaire and IAQ monitoring through a data logger shows a non-linear relationship. Children understood the IAQ concept, but they did not relate it to tiredness, breathing or allergy. They simply connected the IAQ to the smell of the air.