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Schools, IAQ, and Health
Follow the links below to information prepared especially for you!
More than 53 million children and about 6 million adults spend a significant portion of their days in more than 120,000 public and private school buildings in the United States. Many of these buildings are old, in poor condition, and may have environmental conditions that inhibit learning and pose risks to the health of children and staff. One third of schools (housing about 14 million students) have buildings in need of extensive repair or replacement. Research reports suggest that students attending schools in poor condition score 11 percent lower on standardized tests than students who attend schools in good condition.
In addition to poor indoor air quality (IAQ), a range of environmental issues can affect the school environment including:
EPA’s IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit contains information on many of these environmental issues. By using the guidance provided in the IAQ Tools for Schools Kit and developing a written IAQ management plan, schools can begin to address the whole school environment by putting in place procedures to identify and reduce or remove harmful pollutants from the school environment. In addition, EPA's Healthy School Environments Assessment Tool assists school districts in evaluating all of their school facilities for key environmental, safety, and health issues.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber that may be added to a variety of building products to strengthen them and to provide heat insulation and fire resistance. The presence of asbestos in high-activity public buildings such as schools presents the opportunity for inadvertent disturbance and potential for exposure. If friable asbestos fibers are released into the air, there is a potential health risk because persons breathing the air may breathe in asbestos fibers. Continued exposure can increase the amount of fibers that remain in the lung. Fibers embedded in lung tissue over time may cause serious lung diseases including: asbestosis, lung cancer, or mesothelioma. The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (commonly referred to as AHERA) requires public and private non-profit primary and secondary schools to inspect their buildings for asbestos-containing building materials.
- Read more about Asbestos in Schools at - www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/asbestos_in_schools.html
Chemicals are used by students, teachers, facility personnel, and administrative staff throughout schools: in science classrooms and laboratories; in art classrooms; in vocational shops, such as auto body, auto repair, and printing; and in facility maintenance and operations, such as cleaning, painting, and pest control. Chemicals enter school systems through a variety of avenues, such as regular purchases by teachers, facility maintenance personnel, and others, as well as by donations from local industries, test chemicals from suppliers, and learning kits.
An important step in creating a chemically safe school environment is to reduce the amount and toxicity of chemicals coming into it. By knowing how chemicals are entering a school, who is using them (from science teachers to maintenance personnel), and why they are being used, a purchasing policy can be created that meets educational and facility maintenance needs while reducing the quantities and toxicity of the chemicals. Thoughtful chemical purchasing and management contributes to a healthy school environment, so consider the possible health, safety, and environmental implications before buying a particular chemical. Proper chemical use and management (storage, labeling, disposal) is critical for reducing chemical exposures and costly accidents which ultimately affect student learning and attendance.
In addition, proper and timely chemical removal and disposal contribute to the safety of the school environment. EPA’s Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3) provides information about how to remove potentially harmful chemicals from schools. It emphasizes implementation of preventive programs, such as chemical management training for lab instructors and micro scale techniques. The SC3 program also raises national awareness of the issue of chemicals in schools.
- Healthy School Environments Resource on Chemical Use and Management: http://cfpub.epa.gov/schools/top_sub.cfm?t_id=361
- Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign: www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/clusters/schools/index.htm
The most common lead hazards in schools are lead-based paint, lead dust, and contaminated soil. Drinking water may be an additional source of lead exposure. Some drinking water pipes, taps, solder, and other plumbing components contain lead. Lead in the plumbing may leach into water and pose a health risk when consumed. Testing water in schools is important because children spend a significant portion of their days in schools and likely consume water while there. As water sits in leaded plumbing, lead begins to leach into the water. As a result, facilities with sporadic water use patterns, such as schools and day care facilities, may have elevated lead concentrations in the water.
Lead is highly toxic and exposure to it can be dangerous, especially for children aged six or younger. Exposure to lead-contaminated dust is the most common way to get lead poisoning. Exposure to low levels of lead can cause nervous system and kidney damage, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, and decreased intelligence. High levels of lead can have devastating effects on children, including seizures, unconsciousness, and, in some cases, death.
- Lead Web site: www.epa.gov/lead
- Healthy School Environments Resource on Lead: http://cfpub.epa.gov/schools/top_sub.cfm?t_id=41&s_id=29
- Lead in Drinking Water Web site: www.epa.gov/safewater/lead/index.html
Elemental (metallic) mercury primarily causes health effects when it is breathed as a vapor, where it can be absorbed through the lungs. These exposures can occur when elemental mercury is spilled or products that contain elemental mercury break and expose mercury to the air, particularly in warm or poorly-ventilated indoor spaces. Symptoms of exposure to mercury include: tremors; emotional changes (e.g., mood swings, irritability, nervousness, excessive shyness); insomnia; neuromuscular changes (such as weakness, muscle atrophy, twitching); headaches; disturbances in sensations; changes in nerve responses; and performance deficits on tests of cognitive function. At higher exposures there may be kidney effects, respiratory failure, and death.
Mercury is used in many items commonly found in schools, such as thermometers, barometers, switches, thermostats, flowmeters, lamps, and laboratory reagents in chemistry and science labs. Two major causes of mercury spills at schools are improper storage and mishandling of these items. EPA encourages schools to prevent spills by removing all mercury compounds and mercury-containing equipment and by discontinuing their use.
- Mercury Web site: www.epa.gov/mercury
- Schools and Mercury Web site: www.epa.gov/mercury/schools.htm
Moisture problems in school buildings can be caused by a variety of conditions including roof and plumbing leaks, condensation, and excess humidity. Some moisture problems in schools have been linked to changes in building construction practices during the past twenty to thirty years. These changes have resulted in more tightly sealed buildings that may not allow moisture to escape easily. Moisture problems in schools are also associated with delayed maintenance or insufficient maintenance, due to budget and other constraints. Temporary structures in schools, such as trailers and portable classrooms, have frequently been associated with moisture and mold problems.
When mold growth occurs in buildings, it may be followed by reports of health symptoms from some building occupants, particularly those with allergies, asthma, or respiratory problems. Potential health effects and symptoms associated with mold exposures include allergic reactions, asthma, and other respiratory complaints. If mold is a problem in your school, you should clean up the mold and eliminate sources of moisture. See www.epa.gov/mold
Mold Resources
"Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings"
EPA's “Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings” addresses the growing concern of mold and moisture problems facing schools. This document offers valuable guidelines for how to safely and effectively clean up mold, mildew, and moisture problems in schools and commercial buildings. It is designed primarily for building managers, custodians, and others responsible for commercial building and school maintenance and should serve as a reference for mold and moisture remediation service providers. Guidelines offered in this document include measures designed to protect the health and safety of building occupants and clean up staff during remediation activities.
- HTML Version
- “Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings” (PDF) (54 pp, 5MB About PDF)
- www.epa.gov/mold
- EPA 402-K-01-001, March 2001
Online Mold and Mold Remediation Course
EPA offers an online mold and mold remediation course, "Introduction to Mold and Mold Remediation for Environmental and Public Health Professionals." This web course contains information on mold prevention and remediation. It is designed primarily for environmental and public health professionals. The Mold Course has nine chapters; these chapters are further divided into smaller lessons. At the end of each chapter there is a voluntary quiz to test your understanding of the material covered. Each chapter may be accessed at any point in the course using the menu on the left side of the page.
- HTML Version
- If you would like to take a short quiz on your current mold knowledge, begin with the Pre-Test.
- www.epa.gov/mold
Pests are living organisms that appear where they are not wanted or that cause damage to crops or humans or other animals. Examples of common pests include insects, mice and other animals, unwanted plants (weeds), fungi, and microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses. Like any setting, schools may be exposed to a variety of pests, both indoors and outdoors as well as the pesticides often used to control these pests.
An alternative to traditional pesticide applications is the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques. IPM is a safer, and usually less costly, option for effective pest management. A school IPM program employs commonsense strategies to reduce sources of food, water, and shelter for pests in school buildings and grounds.
If other alternatives prove to be ineffective, pesticides can be useful in helping to control pests. However, their use should be carefully managed. Young children’s bodies and immune systems are still developing, so they may be more susceptible to the harmful effects of pesticide exposures. Likewise, because of the types and levels of children's activities (e.g., hand-to-mouth activities, exploring, crawling on the ground), their exposure to pesticides may differ vastly from adults' exposure.
- Pesticides Website: www.epa.gov/pesticides
- Integrated Pest Management in Schools Website: www.epa.gov/pesticides/ipm/index.htm
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. Radon is produced by the breakdown of uranium found within soils. Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that can only be detected by testing.
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States resulting in about 20,000 deaths each year.
It is important that school administrators, teachers, parents and students be aware that elevated radon levels may exist in their school.
EPA recommends that all schools test for radon. Some states have tested all of their public schools. EPA recommends that schools take action if test results show radon levels greater than EPA’s action level of 4 picoCuries per Liter (pCi/L).
- Radon Website: www.epa.gov/radon
- Find information via state radon offices: www.epa.gov/iaq/whereyoulive.html just click on your state
- Find radon service professionals: www.epa.gov/radon/radontest.html
- Radon publications: www.epa.gov/radon/pubs