Avaliação da qualidade do ar interior em ambientes acadêmicos: um estudo de caso

Abstract

The grievances of the atmospheric pollution at great Brazilian cities are old events, known and recurrent. Currently, they have been one of the main points of importance amongst the scientific community. From the establishment of the National Program of Control of the Quality of Air - PRONAR, in 1989 and more recently, in 2009, with the conception of the National Plan of Quality of the Air - PNQA, new perspectives have arised, focused on the reduction of these grievances, including the improvement of the quality of artificially air-conditioned indoor air, aiming to maximize the ambient comfort and effectiveness and minimize the damages to the collective health. The present research has the objective of identifying, in academic environments, if the contents of CO, CO2, relative humidity and temperature of the air are in accordance with the norms and if they obey the standards established for the National Politics of Environment - PNMA and its instruments. The theoretical framework has its basis on the contribution of Satish et al. (2012), Mesquita e Araújo (2006), instruments of the National politics of the Environment (CONAMA, 1981), PRONAR (1989) and ANVISA (2003). This is a descriptive exploratory research. Measurements and collection of data were made in classrooms that were randomly chosen amongst the class sectors I, II, III and IV of the Central Campus, at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. A questionnaire with open and closed questions recommended by ABNT NBR 16401-3/2008 was also applied. As to the air quality index - IQA, the used methodology was developed by the Agency of Ambient Protection of the United States of America - EPA. Lastly, about the concentration of CO2 on the surveyed academic environments, it was concluded that these concentrations are beyond the limits established by the present regulations in the country and the standards established by the instruments of National Environmental Policy-PNMA.