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Action Projects Air Quality Adapted from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Action Kit: www.epa.gov/iaq Contact: Correlation to State Science Standards: Correlation to State Social Studies Standards: Most people are aware that outdoor air pollution can damage their health, but many do not know that indoor air pollution can also cause harm. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) studies of human exposure to air pollutants indicate that indoor levels of pollutants may be 2-5 times, and occasionally more than 100 times, higher than outdoor levels. These levels of indoor air pollutants are of particular concern because it is estimated that most people spend about 90% of their time indoors. Comparative risk studies performed by EPA and its Science Advisory Board have consistently ranked indoor air pollution among the top four environmental risks to the public. Indoor air problems can be subtle and do not always produce easily recognized impacts on health, well-being, or the physical plant. Children are especially susceptible to air pollution. For this and the reasons noted above, air quality in schools is of particular concern. Proper maintenance of indoor air is more than a "quality" issue; it includes safety and good management of our investment in the students, staff, and facilities. Good indoor air quality contributes to a favorable learning environment for students, productivity for teachers and staff, and a sense of comfort, health, and well-being for school occupants. These combine to assist a school in its core mission—educating children. Take a look at the Crabby Kathy web site: www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/kathy/home.htm. This describes how a class decided to investigate why their teacher was not feeling well and had become "crabby!" They investigated and corrected many IAQ problems. If you have the EPA Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools for Schools Action Kit, check out the "IAQ Backgrounder" section in the Kit. If not, check out the "IAQ Backgrounder" on the EPA web site for the Tools for Schools Action Kit at: www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/tfs/iaqback.html As its name implies, the IAQ Backgrounder will give you the background you need to get started. In a few short pages, the Backgrounder will:
We mentioned an "IAQ Team." We know that everybody in a school, students, teachers, custodians, maintenance people, etc. contribute to good or poor indoor air quality, by their activities and through the materials that they bring to school. For example, science and art supplies can add chemicals to the air. So can the personal care products we use like perfume, cologne, hair spray, etc. Of course, maintenance of the HVAC system and school cleanliness is also very important. Therefore, everyone needs to learn about IAQ and how they can help. So, the next thing to do is to form a team. Find other students who are interested in improving the air they breathe in school and find a teacher to work with you. They may be able to help you meet with the custodians or maintenance people. Use the Walk-through Checklist (you can also use other checklists from the IAQ Tools for Schools Kit and other checklists from the Earthteam Project ) Next, take a look at the walk-through checklist and become familiar with it. Work with your team to follow the checklist around the school. If you can get the help of the maintenance staff, look at the ventilation system. Caution: let the maintenance person do the work, but take photographs of the system and note on the checklist the condition of filters, and whether or not the equipment is running properly.
Look over the results of your walk-through with your team. Use a simple priority scheme for ranking the findings. We recommend the following: Top Priority: findings which are of immediate importance because of health concerns, and/or findings which are easily addressed for no or low cost. Examples of findings which are if immediate importance because of health concerns include large areas of mold growth, deteriorating asbestos, combustion gases being pulled into the HVAC system, etc. Examples of findings which are easily addressed are garbage dumpsters too close to outside air intakes for the HVAC system, chemicals improperly stored, and lack of communication between staff. We often find that lack of communication creates big problems, but when discovered these are easily addressed. For example, one custodian was supposed to turn off certain switches to save energy, however, due to miscommunication he was also turning off the HVAC system! Also, a teacher's room was so full of teaching supplies that the custodian couldn't maneuver around the classroom fast enough to get is work done on time, so he had to skip that room. Discussions between the teacher and the custodian resulted in proper storage of the supplies so the cleaning could be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time. Middle Priority: those findings which are not immediately threatening health but will require some time and money. Examples of these findings include, cleaning of the ventilation system, purchasing high efficiency vacuum cleaners, and properly fixing roof leaks (preventing water entry is a top priority however, as it can result in mold growth). Lowest Priority: wish list items. Wish List Items include, upgrading ventilation systems, large scale repairs or remodeling, replacing old portable classrooms, providing fume hoods or local exhaust systems for specific sources of pollutants. Now that you have your list prioritized, tell people about it. Ask to give a presentation to the Health and Safety Committee if your school has one. Explain that as part of the Earthteam project you've found certain things around the school that can affect the Indoor Air Quality. Explain why this is important. Suggest solutions, e.g. relocate the dumpsters away from the outside air intakes for the HVAC system, post signs asking people to turn off their engines while waiting to pick up their children, use less toxic art and science supplies, leave the fan in the ON position rather than the AUTO position on temperature controls, etc. Ask that the Health and Safety Committee examine the other findings which may be more difficult to fix. Offer to discuss this project with teachers during a staff meeting. Send for information about environmentally friendly art and science supplies, pesticides, and building materials such as carpeting, glues and cleaning supplies. Finally, suggest that the school implement the EPA IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit Program. If your school has an environmental club, suggest that it perform an IAQ Walk-through every year as an on-going project. Perhaps the club could learn enough about IAQ to perform walk-throughs at the elementary and middle schools in the district. Finally, suggest that IAQ be included as part of the science curriculum.
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