The Smokestack Effect: Toxic Air and Americas Schools

Enlarge By Jack Gruber, USA TODAY Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., asks about EPA's handling of children's health issues, specifically about toxic industrial emissions near schools, the subject of USA TODAY's series, "The Smokestack Effect" during her questions at the confirmation hearing of Lisa Jackson. The Smokestack Effect: Toxic Air and America's Schools What might be in the air outside your school? Search for a school to see the toxic chemicals that government data indicated were in the air outside. School Name City/County Select a State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Required field

The nominee, Lisa Jackson, told members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that she would "send investigators and samplers out to verify the extent of the problem" and "mobilize" agency efforts within 30 days of her confirmation. Parents, she said, "have a right to know their children are safe when they are in school."

Her pledge to the committee, which is considering her nomination, followed USA TODAY stories that used government data and the newspaper's own air monitoring to examine industrial pollution outside schools from coast to coast. Although EPA has collected data on the amount of toxic chemicals that industries release and created a computer model showing the path those chemicals travel, the agency has never analyzed the impact on schools.

The consensus among scientists is that children are especially susceptible to toxic chemicals, which can cause respiratory illnesses, cancer or other diseases.

USA TODAY identified 435 schools in locations where the air outside appeared more dangerous than at an Ohio elementary school shut down three years ago. That school, Meredith Hitchens Elementary, was closed after Ohio officials found carcinogens outside at 50 times what the state considers acceptable.

The committee's chairwoman, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., insisted that Jackson promise to send EPA experts to schools in potential hot spots to address health risks. Boxer's staff displayed enlarged copies of USA TODAY's front page as she questioned Jackson.

"Do I have your commitment that. .. you will immediately ensure that EPA will quickly deploy its experts to schools where there is an indication that there is a threat from toxic air pollution?" Boxer asked. "USA TODAY did what investigative journalists do, which is to find a problem that needs answers," Jackson said. She pledged to get answers.

Jackson, 46, was head of New Jersey's state Department of Environmental Protection. She worked for the federal agency from 1987 to 2002. She could be confirmed as early as next week, after Obama's inauguration.