Cano, Manuela2026-05-222026-05-222025-11-13http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/11313The growing concern about indoor air quality (IAQ) results from the knowledge that exposure to indoor air pollutants may be higher than outdoor air exposure. In developed countries, after their homes, day care centres are the places where children spend most of their time, so it is essential to understand how environmental factors influence children health. The objectives of the ENVIRH study (2010-2012) were to assess IAQ in naturally ventilated day care centres and kindergartens located in urban centres, study the correlations between indoor air pollutants and explore differences in the associations between building characteristics and IAQ in spring and winter. Most of the day care centres revealed carbon dioxide and bacterial levels above the reference levels defined by the Portuguese legislation, Indoor PM10 levels were higher indoors when compared with outdoor levels (I/O ratio>1) and are influenced by the floor covering materials. Recent changes to indoor air quality regulations, implemented in 2020, require a simplified assessment of indoor air quality in nurseries and kindergartens, with the determination of carbon dioxide and particulate matter (PM10/ PM2.5). The results of some recently conducted simplified annual assessments will be presented and discussed.engIndoor Air QualityChildren Day Care CentresIndoorEnvironmental QualityChildren's HealthAr e Saúde Ocupacionalconference object