Abstract
Several research studies have ranked indoor pollution among the top environmental risks to public health
in recent years. Good indoor air quality is an essential component of a healthy indoor environment and
significantly affects human health and well-being. Poor air quality in such environments may cause
respiratory disease for millions of pupils around the globe and, in the current pandemic-dominated era,
require ever more urgent actions to tackle the burden of its impacts.
The poor indoor quality in such environments could result from poor management, operation, maintenance,
and cleaning. Pupils are a different segment of the population from adults in many ways, and they are more
exposed to the poor indoor environment: They breathe in more air per unit weight and are more sensitive
to heat/cold and moisture. Thus, their vulnerability is higher than adults, and poor conditions may affect
proper development.
However, a healthy learning environment can reduce the absence rate, improves test scores, and enhances
pupil/teacher learning/teaching productivity. In this article, we analyzed recent literature on indoor air
quality and health in schools, with the primary focus on ventilation, thermal comfort, productivity, and
exposure risk. This study conducts a comprehensive review to summarizes the existing knowledge to
highlight the latest research and solutions and proposes a roadmap for the future school environment. In
conclusion, we summarize the critical limitations of the existing studies, reveal insights for future research
directions, and propose a roadmap for further improvements in school air quality. More parameters and
specific data should be obtained from in-site measurements to get a more in-depth understanding at
contaminant characteristics. Meanwhile, site-specific strategies for different school locations, such as
proximity to transportation routes and industrial areas, should be developed to suit the characteristics of
schools in different regions. The socio-economic consequences of health and performance effects on
children in classrooms should be considered. There is a great need for more comprehensive studies with
larger sample sizes to study on environmental health exposure, student performance, and indoor
satisfaction. More complex mitigation measures should be evaluated by considering energy efficiency, IAQ
and health effects