IMSA Air Quality

Nathan Fessler et al.
Wed, 29 Apr 2026 15:10:00 PDT

Residential facilities at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy hold a reputation for questionable conditions. A major factor in the safety of a residential building is the air quality. This study focuses on the impacts of air quality issues on the IMSA campus. An indoor air quality report was conducted in 2021 by Bailey Edward, surveying 16 main building locations and each wing of the residence halls. This report, found at https://www.imsa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/AERO-Reports.pdf, contains exact data as well as a summary. Analyzing the data, we found reports of a high TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compounds) level in room A157, which can cause problems in one’s body not limited to nausea, headaches, dizziness, and eye irritation. It is assumed that it is caused by an abundance of vinyl shower curtains. High levels of PM10 were found in 1505 C-wing. PM10 is inhalable particulate matter that has a diameter of 10 micrometers or less. Though the reason is unknown, it could be as simple as excessive foot traffic, as the report indicates that testing overlapped with PTAC replacements. We were slightly limited by a lack of data, solely relying on a single report that occurred during building maintenance (which likely affected air quality). This data shows that the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy generally has safe air quality when the building is unoccupied. In the future, analysis of air quality in occupied spaces can be used to determine if the academy has proper protections against excessive particulate matter entering the buildings.