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Indoor Air Quality
The quality of air in buildings is an important topic for public health across our country. Region 5's indoor air program focuses on air quality issues in homes, schools, and commercial buildings. Our society, including children, spends more than 90% of its time indoors. Poor indoor air quality can have an enormous impact on our health, well being, productivity, and our children's ability to learn.
Air Quality in Schools | Asthma | Mold | Radon | Tools for Schools | School Training
Announcements: 
Call For Proposals! 2009 Community Involvement Training Conference
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting presentation proposals for its 2009 Community Involvement Training Conference. The conference will be held in Seattle, Washington August 18-20, 2009. Proposals are due February 20, 2009.
The theme for the 2009 conference is, "Reaching across Boundaries: Sharing Challenges and Opportunities." The theme acknowledges that boundaries exist all around us and can pose challenges to effectively solving environmental problems. However, if stakeholders can move across boundaries, they can identify mutual challenges and opportunities that can lead to sustainable environmental benefits. During the conference we will explore communication skills and processes, organizational/institutional issues and behavioral shifts as ways to reach across boundaries to achieve these environmental benefits.
There will be funding for one nonfederal employee per presentation - the funding will cover all the travel expenses (air fare, parking, meals (govt. per diem rate), transportation, etc.).
For more information about submitting a presentation proposal, please visit the conference website at: http://www.epa.gov/ciconference/
- Region 5's Indoor Environments Program is pleased to announce the applicants who were selected for the Region 5 2008 Indoor Environments Grants Competition. The announcement was posted on February 29, 2008 and proposals were due April 29, 2008. The following applicants were selected:
- Minnesota Department of Health. Asthma-ETS Project:: Applicant will develop an online training that will provide home environmental assessment education for approximately 3,000 public health nurses and certified asthma educators. Online training will be easily duplicated by other States and organizations outside of Minnesota.
- Indiana State Department of Health. Asthma-ETS Project: Applicant will leverage strong partnerships to build support in communities with underserved populations.
- University of Tulsa. Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Project (IAQ TfS): Applicant will work with school districts in South Bend, Indiana and Grand Ledge and Grosse Pointe, Michigan to promote IAQ TfS and assist them with practical solutions to improve their indoor environments.
- EPA recognizes the important work that is accomplished at the community level and has developed many resources to support community efforts that address the environmental management of asthma in homes and schools. This grant competition is designed to assist community-based efforts. Congratulations to our selected applicants!
- Each school day, about one-quarter of the population is located in our nation's schools. Air quality in school buildings are affected by many variables.
- Students are close together, with the typical school having approximately four times as many occupants as office buildings for the same amount of floor space.
- There is a variety of pollutant sources, including art and science supplies, industrial and vocational arts, pesticides, classroom pets, home economic classes, and gyms.
- Sometimes rooms, portable classrooms, or buildings which were not originally designed to service the unique requirements of schools are used for classrooms.
Asthma Program at U.S. EPA Region 5
- U.S. EPA Region 5 receives more calls concerning mold problems than any other single indoor contaminant. U.S. EPA has published two excellent guidance documents that will help homeowners and building managers deal with this important, emerging issue: Mold Remediation in School and Commercial Buildings; and A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home.
- Region 5 has the largest, most active radon program in the country. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas and the second leading cause of lung cancer deaths in the United States. Every home and school should be tested for radon gas. Homes with radon problems can be fixed, and new homes can be built with inherent radon resistant features.
- U.S. EPA has an excellent voluntary program called IAQ Tool For Schools designed to provide guidance that will help prevent indoor air quality problems and resolve any problems that may arise. We are proud of the fact that more schools in Region 5 have adopted good indoor air quality practices consistent with U.S. EPA guidance than any other Region in the Country.
For more information concerning Indoor Air Quality Topics go to: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/whatsnew.html
School Training
Region 5 has developed a comprehensive school and children's health training course. This course is designed to train EPA staff, as well as state and local health and environmental department employees on techniques and strategies to help improve the environmental quality of our Region's public and private schools. The course can be modified for use as presentation materials for school districts, community groups, and other public, private, and tribal partners. The course presents a complete overview of all school and children's health related programs for which Region 5 has responsibility.
Course module topics include:
- The unique aspects of schools (PDF) (16 pp, 1182K, About PDF)
- Basic Information on Children's Health (PDF) (156 pp, 505, About PDF)
- An Overview of EPA programs
- Part I (PDF) (27 pp, 631K, About PDF)
- Part II (PDF) (37 pp, 1741K, About PDF)
- Part III (PDF) (42 pp, 873K, About PDF)
- Strategies for Working With Schools (PDF) (18 pp, 388K, About PDF)
- US EPA Region 5 Contacts for School Programs (PDF) (3 pp, 58K, About PDF)
For more information about this course please contact Jack Barnette (barnette.jack@epa.gov), or Lara Lasky (lasky.lara@.epa.gov) .