Springtime and School IAQ: What Can You Do?

EPA Indoor Environments Division sent this bulletin at 05/11/2017 10:00 AM EDT

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SPRING 2017 NEWSLETTER

Featured in This Issue

Operation Spring Clean: Sweep Away Your IAQ Troubles With These Helpful Tips

Spring has sprung! Be sure to maintain healthy IAQ in your school and facilities, especially during this pollen-packed season. Use this time not only to protect the health of your students, faculty and staff, but also to improve the indoor environment of your facilities. Below are some quick tips to help you effectively maintain IAQ and clean your school facilities.

Place barrier floor mats at all building entrances to reduce the amount of soil, pollutants and moisture that gets tracked into your school.

Barrier floor mats can help collect pollutants and prevent them from causing respiratory issues in the classroom. For a more detailed look at how entry mat barriers work, visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) information on Preventing the Entry of Pollutants.

Wipe down all high-touch areas with a damp cloth.

Children are not just little adults—they breathe in more air in proportion to their body weight than do adults. That is why taking small steps to improve IAQ in classrooms can go a long way. Another proactive IAQ cleaning method is to routinely remove dust from desks, chairs, doorknobs and other high-touch areas.

Store food and waste in containers with tight lids, and clean lunch areas and kitchen floors frequently.

Pests do not take breaks, and when it comes to pest management, neither should your school! Taking care to properly store food and clean food areas will help prevent the buildup of pest-related allergens. Making note of possible pest entry points and keeping potential pest areas clean can help avoid irritation to students and staff.

Ensure that facilities and maintenance staff change HVAC filters on a regular basis.

To ensure air circulation free of pollen and other allergens, remind school faculty and staff of the importance of keeping HVAC units free of debris and changing filters routinely. HVAC upkeep is especially important if natural ventilation through operable windows is possible in your school facility. Although open windows bring in fresh air, they also allow outdoor pollen and other allergens to enter the school. A clean filter will more effectively remove these allergens from your school’s indoor air.

Perform routine inspections and maintenance.

Inspections are more than simply ensuring that HVAC equipment is properly functioning—they help identify such potential IAQ problem areas as pest entry locations and facility leaks. Routine inspections, especially when part of a school IAQ management program, will allow you to log and track the condition of your school’s facilities and equipment. Use this information to perform restorative maintenance on school equipment as necessary and prevent major issues.

For an introduction to EPA’s Seven Technical Solutions and their relationship to an effective IAQ management program, check out the IAQ Tools for Schools Framework for Effective School IAQ Management. The IAQ Tools for Schools guidance has been implemented successfully in schools nationwide and has the information you need to start or maintain your IAQ management program.

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New Reports From The World Health Organization (WHO) On Children's Health and the Environment

Worldwide, 1.7 million children younger than 5 years of age die each year from exposure to environmental hazards, such as contaminated water, indoor air pollution, outdoor air pollution and other unsanitary conditions. That’s more than one death out of every four deaths of children younger than 5, according to the new WHO report Inheriting a Sustainable World? Atlas on Children’s Health and the Environment, available at www.who.int/ceh/publications/inheriting-a-sustainable-world.

One of the major themes emphasized by the WHO is the prevention of disease by avoiding exposure to environmental pollutants. The WHO concluded that addressing polluted environments could have prevented more than one in four children’s deaths. Reducing environmental pollution, such as indoor and outdoor air pollution, can prevent children’s deaths and illnesses.

Globally, approximately 570,000 children younger than 5 years of age die each year from respiratory infections, such as pneumonia, attributable to indoor and outdoor air pollution and secondhand smoke. Household air pollution from smoke from cook stoves, ambient air pollution and secondhand tobacco smoke are the most dangerous environmental risks for childhood respiratory infections, as outlined in the WHO companion report, Don't Pollute My Future! The Impact of the Environment on Children’s Health, available at www.who.int/ceh/publications/don-t-pollute-my-future.

Chapter 5 of Inheriting a Sustainable World talks about the important role schools play in children’s health. Healthy schools provide the foundation for a healthy life; educating children on the importance of healthy environments sets them up to thrive as they grow. Below are excerpts from Inheriting a Sustainable World that comment on the importance of a healthy school environment.

“Children spend several hours a day at school, so making sure that these environments are safe and health-promoting is vital.”

“Poor environmental and infrastructure conditions in schools can make teaching and learning very challenging. Air pollution inside and outside the classroom can trigger or exacerbate respiratory diseases and infections. Radon also may be present in school buildings.”

“Ensuring children’s health in school environments requires action at many levels. WHO encourages the development of health-promoting schools, which it defines as those that are ‘always strengthening their capacity as a healthy setting for living, learning and working.’”

WHO news release, March 6, 2017
www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2017/pollution-child-death

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