Indoor Air Quality

For more information on Indoor Air Quality, visit:

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools for Schools
According to a 1995 GAO report over 50 percent of our nation's schools have poor ventilation and significant sources of pollution in buildings where nearly 55 million students, teachers, and school staff spend the majority of their time.

Featured Indoor Air Quality Resources:

Healthy School Environments Assessment Tool (HealthySEAT)
HealthySEAT is a new software tool from EPA designed to help school districts conduct voluntary, customized self-assessments of their school facilities for environmental, health, and safety hazards.
Source: EPA - Office of Air and Radiation - Indoor Environments Division
http://www.epa.gov/schools

Indoor Air Quality Design Tools for Schools
Indoor air quality is a critically important aspect of creating and maintaining healthy school facilities. IAQ Design Tools for Schools will help school districts find the information resources they need to design, construct and renovate school facilities that will support the schools core mission of educating children.
Source: EPA - Office of Air and Radiation - Indoor Environments Division
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schooldesign/

Environmental Compliance and Best Management Practices Guidance Manual
This comprehensive environmental manual is available on-line in both English and Spanish.
Source: EPA - Region 2
http://www.epa.gov/region02/children/k12/

National Compliance Assistance Clearinghouse
The National Compliance Assistance Clearinghouse is your guide to compliance information on the Internet. It provides quick access to compliance tools, contacts, and planned activities from across EPA as well as other compliance assistance providers.
Source: EPA - National Compliance Assistance Clearninghouse
http://cfpub1.epa.gov/clearinghouse/index.cfm?Tab=Home

Pennsylvania Green Building Operations and Maintenance Manual
This manual for environmentally preferable operation and maintenance of government buildings and associated grounds is designed to help carry out the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Executive Order 1998-1 to "incorporate environmentally sustainable practices into [Executive Agencies'] ... operations."
Source: Pennsylvania Department of General Services' Property Management
http://www.dgs.state.pa.us/dgs/cwp/view.asp?Q=118184&A=363

Reducing Pesticide Exposure at Schools
This September 2007 publication from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and health explains how exposures and potential health risks to children and school staff can be reduced by avoiding routine pesticide applications through an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program.
Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2007-150/

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Improving Environmental Conditions in MA Schools
This website provides links to a variety of web resources that address how to improve the school environment. Topics such as facilities management (including a wide range of environmental, health and safety issues), hazardous waste site impacts on schools, transportation, and waste reduction and recycling are addressed.
Source: Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
http://www.mass.gov/dep/service/schools.htm

California -- Sustainable Schools
This website provides a diverse collection of sustainable building resources that will help schools create high performance educational facilities that will ensure the optimal health and productivity of students and faculty.
Source: California Division of the State Architect
http://www.sustainableschools.dgs.ca.gov/sustainableschools/

National Best Practices Manual for Building High Performance Schools
Written specifically for architects and engineers, this manual is designed to help design or retrofit schools. This is a large document (8.2MB) and may take a few moments to download.
Source: Department of Energy - Office of Building Technology, State and Community Programs
http://www.eren.doe.gov/energysmartschools/pdfs/31545.pdf

NCEF Resource List: High Performance School Buildings
NCEF offers an annotated list of links and journal articles describing a sustainable approach to school building design, engineering, materials selection, energy-efficiency, lighting, waste management strategies, etc., also called "green design."
Source: National Institute of Building Sciences - National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities
http://www.edfacilities.org/rl/high_performance.cfm

California Portable Classrooms Study
The Air Resources Board (ARB) and Department of Health Services (DHS) completed a comprehensive study of the environmental health conditions in portable (relocatable) classrooms. This study investigated classrooms in kindergarten through 12th grade public schools and included a large representative sample.
Source: California Air Resources Board
http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/indoor/pcs/pcs.htm

Collaborative for High Performance Schools
The Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) aims to increase the energy efficiency of public schools in California by marketing information, service, and incentive programs directly to school districts and designers. The Collaborative's goal is to facilitate the design of high performance schools: environments that are not only energy efficient, but also healthy, comfortable, well lit, and contain the amenities needed for a quality education.
Source: Collaborative for High Performance Schools
http://www.chps.net/

Rhode Island Rules and Regulations for School Health Programs
These regulations, issued by RI Department of Education and RI Deptartment of Health, address a number of environmental/health issues in schools, such as: mercury, pesticide application, asbestos, lead, radon, water supply, and chemical hygiene plans. The regulations prohibit the use of certain chemicals from schools (see Appendix A).
Source: RI Dept Education and RI Dept Health
http://www.rules.state.ri.us/rules/released/pdf/DOH/DOH_2722.pdf

Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign
Every year, hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent on school incidents involving chemicals such as spills and fires. These incidents involve potentially dangerous chemicals which, in some cases, had been unused for more than thirty years. In addition to financial costs, these spills may also cause school closures that result in a loss of valuable education time. The Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3) seeks to address this issue by not only cleaning out excess, legacy, unused, and improperly stored chemicals but also by going a step further and implementing preventive mechanisms in schools.
Source: EPA-Office of Solid Waste
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/clusters/schools/index.htm

Managing Your Environmental Responsibilities: A Planning Guide for Construction and Development
EPA guidance manual that provides the construction industry comprehensive environmental information.
Source: EPA -- Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/publications/assistance/sectors/constructmyer/index.html

NCEF- Healthy School Environments Resource List
National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities resource list of links, books, and journal articles on environmentally safe and healthy school buildings.
Source: National Institute of Building Sciences - National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities
http://www.edfacilities.org/rl/healthy_schools.cfm

Portables Tool Kit: A toolkit for parents and school administrators for successful use of portable classrooms.
The Modular Building Institute (MBI) has created its own toolkit of materials that are available to any school district purchaser or facility administrator to help them secure and maintain facilities that provide an optimum learning environment.
Source: Modular Building Institute
http://mbinet.org/htmlPage.aspx?name=news22

Greening America's Schools: Costs and Benefits
This report is intended to answer this fundamental question: how much more do green schools cost, and is greening schools cost effective?
Source: Capital E
http://www.cap-e.com/ewebeditpro/items/O59F9819.pdf

LEED for Schools
The LEED for Schools Rating System recognizes the unique nature of the design and construction of K-12 schools. Based on the LEED for New Construction rating system, it addresses issues such as classroom acoustics, master planning, mold prevention and environmental site assessment.
Source: U.S. Green Building Council
http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1586

High Performance School Design Online Training
Interactive courses on this site are offered free of charge as a public benefit for design and engineering professionals specializing in sustainable design for K-12 schools. High performance school design integrates daylighting, indoor air quality, and energy efficiency to build a school that runs efficiently, saves money, protects natural resources, and provides superior visual, acoustical, and thermal comfort.
Source: New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
http://www.hpschooldesigntraining.com/nyserda/home.jsp

Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Walkthrough Video Assessment
This is a streaming-video module directed towards schools in city environments. The purpose is to help people identify potential indoor air quality problems and how to correct them. Based on EPA's Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Program.
Source: Rutgers University
http://urbantfs.digiscript.com/

Green Buildings Portal
Green or sustainable building is the practice of creating healthier and more resource-efficient models of construction, renovation, operation, maintenance, and demolition. EPA's Green Building web portal provides links to energy, waste, water, materials, and indoor environment resources.
Source: EPA-Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response - Office of Solid Waste
http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/

Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools
EPA's Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools program provides schools with a range of resources to help them prevent and solve indoor air quality problems.
Source: EPA - Office of Air and Radiation
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools

Managing Asthma in the School Environment
This EPA tool for schools offers nine resources to help manage asthma in school environments, including 10 Ways to Manage Asthma, The Asthma Epidemic, Asthma in Schools, IAQ Tools for Schools, Environmental Asthma Triggers, Asthma Management and Education, Additional Resources, Asthma Action Card, and Daily Asthma Management Plan.
Source: EPA - Office of Air and Radiation
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/asthma/index.html

Radon Prevention in the Design and Construction of Schools and Other Large Buildings
Guidance on the design and construction of radon-resistant school buildings.
Source: EPA - Office of Research and Development
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/

Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings
This document presents guidelines for the remediation/cleanup of mold and moisture problems in schools and commercial buildings; these guidelines protect the health of building occupants and remediators.
Source: EPA - Office of Air and Radiation - Indoor Environments Division
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/molds/index.html

Energy Star Assesment of Building Performance
The assesment of a school's building peformance is a rating system that is used by EPA's national energy performance rating system to see if a school (K-12) may be eligible for ENERGY STAR.
Source: EPA - Energy Star
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=evaluate_performance.bus_portfoliomanager

Should You Have the Air Ducts in Your Home Cleaned?
This document assists homeowners to determine if home air ducts need cleaning and what to expect from the process.
Source: EPA - Office of Air and Radiation - Indoor Environments Division
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/airduct.html

Asbestos Containing Material in Schools: EPA-Approved Courses Under AHERA: Notice 56 FR 43064
Effective May 31, 1995, the EPA is announcing the availability of a new edition of its National Directory of AHERA Accredited Courses (NDAAC). This publication, updated quarterly, provides information to the public about training providers and courses approved for accreditation purposes pursuant to the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA).
Source: EPA - Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics
http://www.epa.gov/docs/fedrgstr/EPA-TOX/1995/May/Day-31/pr-83.html

Massachusetts Environmental Health and Safety Issues in Massachusetts' Primary Schools
The interagency Healthy Schools Council was tasked with identifying a list of the most important issues for schools to address in terms of environmental health and safety. A multi-agency/multi-media checklist was developed addressing these issues.
Source: Massachusetts Healthy Schools Council - Massachusetts Department of Public Health
http://www.state.ma.us/dph/beha/iaq/schools/schools.htm

Massachusetts - Green Schools Initiative
The goal of the Green Schools Initiative is to encourage school districts to construct or renovate school buildings that will cost less to operate and will provide healthier learning environments for students. This pilot program is an extraordinary opportunity for school districts planning new schools or major renovations to create more efficient facilities. The program will also help influence how future schools will be designed and built in Massachusetts.
Source: Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC)
http://www.mtpc.org/RenewableEnergy/green_schools.htm

Washington State School Health and Safety Program
The program provides consultation, technical assistance, and training to local health jurisdictions, schools, and parent groups on school health and safety issues.
Source: Washington State Department of Health - Office of Environmental Health & Safety
http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/ts/school.htm

California - Los Angeles Unified School District Product Review Database
Searchable database of over 5,000 products evaluated by the LAUSD Office of Environmental Health and Safety to determine their suitability for use in and around Los Angeles schools.
Source: Los Angeles Unified School District - Office of Environmental Health & Safety
http://www.lausd-oehs.org/productreview.asp

Indiana - IDEM E-Newsletter for Indiana Educators
This newletter provides information on a range of environmental topics which schools must address.
Source: Indiana Department of Environmental Management
http://www.in.gov/idem/schoolnews

Energy Smart Schools
Energy smart schools provide more money for the classroom, a better learning environment, and increased energy awareness.
Source: Department of Energy - Office of Building Technology, State and Community Programs
http://www.eren.doe.gov/energysmartschools/

Massachusetts --A Case Study of Environmental, Health, and Safety Issues Involving the Burlington Massachusetts Public School System
This Web site provides a case study of Environmental, Health, and Safety issues in the Burlington, MA public school system.
Source: EPA Region 7 - Burlington Board of Health
http://www.epa.gov/Region7/education_resources/teachers/ehsstudy/index.htm

The Green Rider
The purpose of the Green Rider is to provide information on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) programs that promote environmentally and economically sound building practices and energy efficiency. The Green Rider requires the offeror to document the evaluations of green practices and product selections to determine why specific concepts were or were not chosen.
Source: EPA Region 7 - Solid Waste & Pollution Prevention Branch
http://www.epa.gov/region7/p2/greenrider.pdf

NCEF Resource List: Classroom Design
NCEF offers an annotated list of links, books, and journal articles addressing indoor air quality issues in K-12 school buildings, including building materials, maintenance practices, renovation procedures and ventilation systems. This specific site highlights various resources on classroom design.
Source: National Institute of Building Sciences - National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities
http://www.edfacilities.org/rl/classroom_design.cfm

EPA New England's K-12 Schools Website
This site discusses efforts to improve coordination and integration amongst EPA's many schools related programs, and provides links to Regional topic specific web sites, such as: asbestos, diesel school buses, drinking water, environmental management systems, energy, indoor air quality, lead, mercury and teacher and student resources. Links to national websites are provided as well.
Source: EPA Region 1
http://www.epa.gov/ne/schools

Inventory of Federal School Environmental Health Activities
This inventory was prepared by the Schools Workgroup of the President's Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children and includes descriptions of major school related programs and activities of EPA and other Federal departments and Agencies.
Source: EPA -- President's Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children
http://yosemite.epa.gov/ochp/ochpweb.nsf/content/Inventory.htm/$file/Inventory.pdf

NCEF Resource List: Indoor Air Quality
NCEF offers an annotated list of links, books, and journal articles addressing indoor air quality issues in K-12 school buildings, including building materials, maintenance practices, renovation procedures and ventilation systems.
Source: National Institute of Building Sciences - National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities
http://www.edfacilities.org/rl/iaq.cfm

Illinois -- Greening Schools
Greening Schools offers FREE technical assistance, workshops for teachers, administrators and facility managers, and on-line resources related to pollution prevention for all Illinois schools.
Source: Illinois Waste Management and Research Center
http://www.greeningschools.org

Kentucky Green and Healthy Schools
The Kentucky Green and Healthy Schools (KGHS) Program is a new, voluntary effort to empower students and staff with the tools needed to take action and make their school operate at peak efficiency.
Source: Kentucky Green and Healthy Schools
http://greenschools.ky.gov/

California Indoor Air Quality Program
This Web site provides factsheets on indoor air quality issues affecting schools and links for more information.
Source: California Indoor Air Quality Program
http://www.cal-iaq.org/

California Advisory on Relocatable and Renovated Classrooms
This document summarizes the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) considerations regarding the purchase/lease of relocatable classrooms (or "portables") and the contracting for renovation of existing space. It is provided to advise school facility managers how to minimize potential health impacts from IEQ problems with cost-effective practices.
Source: California Interagency Working Group on Indoor Air Quality
http://www.cal-iaq.org/adv_4pg.htm

Indoor Health and Productivity Project
The IHP aims to develop a better understanding of the relationship between the physical attributes of schools and other indoor environments.
Source: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
http://www.dc.lbl.gov/IHP/

Massachusetts Healthy Schools Web site
The Massachusetts Healthy Schools Web site is a resource for promoting healthy indoor air environments and environmentally sustainable school buildings in Massachusetts.
Source: Massachusetts Public Health Association - Massachusetts Healthy Schools Network
http://www.mphaweb.org/pol_schools.html

Connecticut - Asbestos Containing Materials in Connecticut Schools
Information on this Web site applies to all non-profit, public and private, elementary and secondary schools in Connecticut. Gives a brief overview of facility requirements and provides links to corresponding applicable regulations.
Source: Connecticut Department of Public Health - Asbestos Program
http://www.state.ct.us/dph/BRS/asbestos/asbestos_schools.htm

Massachusetts Preventing Indoor Air Quality Problems During Construction and Renovation
Renovation can adversely impact Indoor Air Quality in occupied building areas. Symptoms include headache, eye, throat, and respiratory irritation, and an increase in asthma complaints. The following recommendations have been successful in reducing Indoor Air Quality complaints during building renovation activities.
Source: Commonwealth of Massachusetts - Department of Workforce and Labor Development - Division of Occupational Safety
http://www.state.ma.us/dos/iaqdocs/IAQ-388.htm

12 Steps Toward a Healthier School
Children spend an enormous amount of their waking hours in the school environment. Children are a vulnerable population due to their small size and special physiology, and therefore it is important that schools be as environmentally safe as possible. Listed here are twelve areas of special concern.
Source: Environment & Human Health, Inc. -
http://www.ehhi.org/reports/12schools/

NEA Health Information Network Environmental Health Page
The NEA Health Information Network Web site provides basic health information related to school environments.
Source: National Education Association Health Information Network
http://www.neahin.org/programs/environmental/index.htm

Children's Environmental Health Legislation Database
The Children's Environmental Health Legislation database includes state legislation on topics such as asthma, mercury, lead poisoning, pesticides and indoor air quality.
Source: National Conference of State Legislatures - Washington Office
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/environ/envHealth/cehdb.htm

New York High Performance Building Guidelines
These guidelines outline a range of 'best practices' for planning, designing, constructing and operating healthier, more energy and resource-efficient facilities.
Source: NYC Department of Design and Construction
http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/ddc/html/highperf.html

Minnesota Sustainable Design Guide
The Minnesota Sustainable Design Guide is a tool to learn about sustainability, manage design decisions, and integrate sustainable design into the building design and operation processes for new and renovated facilities.
Source: University of Minnesota College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture - CALA Building Research
http://www.msdg.umn.edu/

American School and Hospital Maintenance Magazine
Provides facility managers with information regarding current facility management issues and the latest products. Many of these topics are relevant to maintenance at school facilities.
Source: Continental Communications
http://www.facilitymanagement.com/

Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association
This Web site provides publications related to the installation and maintenance of HVAC systems. These documents can be located through keyword searches in the Publications section.
Source: Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association -
http://smacna.org/