Assessment of Indoor Air Quality in Selected Classrooms in Tamzaoua Al-Shatti, Libya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61952/jlabw.v2i4.662Keywords:
indoor air quality, AQI, school classrooms, bioaerosols, fungi, particulate matter, Tamzaoua, LibyaAbstract
This study investigated the indoor air quality of school classrooms in the Tamzaoua Al-Shatti area of southern Libya, where students aged 8–12 years are enrolled. Air samples were collected across three academic months — October, December, and February — using the passive airfall trap method on agar plates, in accordance with ISO 16000-1 (2004). This passive approach was selected as a pragmatic and internationally recognised primary indicator well-suited to resource-limited field environments. Carbon dioxide (CO2), fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM1.0), temperature, and relative humidity were measured in each classroom. Microbial samples were cultivated on media appropriate for bacterial and fungal growth, and isolates were identified morphologically and microscopically.
The results revealed that the lowest temperatures occurred in December and the highest in October, while relative humidity was lowest in February and highest in December. Carbon dioxide concentrations remained below the 1000 ppm permissible threshold throughout all sampling periods, as did PM1.0 concentrations. PM2.5 concentrations exceeded WHO guideline values exclusively in classroom M1 during February, attributable to its larger floor area, multiple open windows, an open door, and its position at the front of the school building, which is subject to elevated foot traffic and wind-borne particulate ingress.
Airborne bacterial loads were highest in February, followed by October, and lowest in December. Conversely, fungal loads were highest in October, followed by February, and lowest in December. Among the bacterial isolates, Gram-positive cocci predominated, accounting for 43.8% of all isolates, followed by Gram-negative cocci (26.3%), Gram-negative bacilli (15.7%), and Gram-positive bacilli (14.0%). Alternaria alternata was the most frequently isolated fungal species, constituting 18% of all fungal isolates. The findings of this study provide a baseline dataset on biological and physical air pollutants in primary school environments in arid southern Libya and highlight specific classrooms requiring priority ventilation intervention.
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