THE PROBLEM OF POOR INDOOR AIR QUALITY IN SCHOOLS (Research Advantix Systems.)Jules Williams.
Parents worry about many things when they send their children off to school each morning, but the quality of the air their children breathe throughout the day is likely the last thing on their minds. Most parents assume that schools provide a clean, healthy and safe environment, and that their children will have an opportunity to learn in a setting that fosters growth and creativity, without undue distraction.
Most parents in the United States may believe their children’s schools are safe, but they are wrong. A June 2000 U.S. Department of Education study found that, in the mid-1990s, one in five U.S. schools (about 25,000) reported unsatisfactory indoor air quality (IAQ). Today, millions of children attend schools plagued by poor IAQ due to the presence of molds, toxins, chemicals and other unhealthy environmental factors. These potentially harmful conditions dramatically impede the performance of both students and teachers (Healthy Schools Network (HSN), Who’s In Charge? 2006). Poor IAQ has also been documented to cause serious, long-lasting and life-threatening health problems. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends various steps be taken to improve the problems which include diligently monitoring and regulating moisture in schools, implementing programs to oversee good air quality maintenance and utilizing new technology to improve ventilation and dehumidification in facilities.
The problem of poor indoor air quality in schools is widespread and its health risks are too important to ignore. The following is intended to outline the problem, its detrimental impact on the health of students and teachers, and provide recommendations for how poor IAQ in schools can be addressed.
The Prevalence of Poor Indoor Air Quality in Schools
Half of the nation’s 120,000 public and private schools are estimated to have polluted indoor air (HSN, Who’s In Charge? 2006).These affected schools enroll 55 million children each year, who on any given day are at risk for developing health symptoms related to poor IAQ. Despite the high number of children at risk, there is no outside public health agency tasked with regulating and enforcing guidelines with regard to unsafe indoor air environments in schools. The nation’s public school system also employs six million individuals who are exposed to unhealthy indoor air. Many have documented being aware of poor IAQ within their facilities (HSN, Who’s In Charge? 2006). A survey of school nurses conducted in 2010 found that 40 percent of respondents knew children and staff who had been adversely affected by pollutants in schools (HSN, NASN Survey, 2010). More than 75 percent of surveyed nurses said their schools had no indoor air quality team or coordinator. Needless to say, there are far too few resources and organizations actively working to resolve the problem of poor IAQ in schools, which has been called “America’s largest unaddressed children’s health crisis” by teachers (HSN, Who’s In Charge? 2006).
Causes of Poor Indoor Air Quality in Schools
According to the EPA, levels of indoor air pollutants may be two to five times higher, and in some cases, more than 100 times higher than outdoor levels. The quality of air is influenced by a number of factors, including:
Number of particles and contaminants present – Called “indoor air pollutants,” these include mold, bacteria, dust mites, animal dander, second-hand smoke and chemicals from cleaning products.
(EPA, Indoor IAQ and Student Performance, 2003). Many of these also serve as triggers for asthma (EPA, Managing Asthma in Schools, 2010).
Level of relative humidity and temperature – Both humidity and heat influence the growth of bacteria and mold, some species of which contain toxins that are particularly hazardous to humans.
Effectiveness of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC) – Poorly operating HVAC systems can cause indoor air pollutants and carbon dioxide to become concentrated to levels that are harmful to humans. HVAC systems that do not effectively control relative humidity can promote the growth of bacteria and mold. Moisture, dirt, bacteria and build-up of other harmful contaminants in HVAC systems also degrade the quality of the air.
Building repair – Older school buildings present a maintenance challenge for many school districts across the country. Aging buildings that suffer from leaks, water damage and excess moisture significantly contribute to poor air quality (EPA, Indoor IAQ and Student Performance, 2003).
Current Regulations on Indoor Air Quality in Schools
Laws regulating IAQ in schools are highly variable and difficult to categorize. Some are driven by action steps and processes (for example: create an IAQ monitoring committee), outline specific procedures for building inspections, instruct how employee complaints should be filed or require explicit steps for conducting safe renovations. These laws might be addendums to existing state laws regarding other issues that affect IAQ, such as pest control, the use of pesticides or regulation of hazardous materials (HSN, Sick Schools, 2009). The Environmental Law Institute publishes an annual database of state IAQ Laws, which include a comprehensive listing of state guidelines (HSN, Sick Schools, 2009).
Health Risks Associated with Poor Indoor Air Quality
A growing body of research continues to link student performance to the quality of the air that they breathe. It has been shown that illnesses and frequent absences have a negative impact on overall student performance as well. Short-term physical health effects of poor IAQ on students include fatigue, nausea, inability to concentrate and impaired memory and focus. These problems are often caused by poor air ventilation (EPA, Indoor Air and Student Performance, 2003).
School ventilation systems are put in place to remove or dilute airborne contaminants (from people breathing, cleaning agents, pathogens and other agents) by increasing circulation of fresh air. In certain concentrations, these contaminants can be harmful. They are also used to decrease levels of carbon dioxide, which in high levels has been documented to decrease student concentration and performance on tests and increase the number of student complaints of health problems compared to classes with lower carbon dioxide levels (NCEF, Do School Facilities Affect Academic Outcomes? 2002).
One EPA study found that students in classrooms breathing higher rates of cleaner, outdoor air scored up to 15 percent higher on standardized tests compared to students in classrooms with lower rates of outdoor air ventilation.
Other adverse health effects from exposure to poor IAQ include asthma and respiratory illnesses. Asthma, a chronic respiratory inflammatory disease that causes the airways to constrict and leads to wheezing, breathlessness, and coughing is one of the leading causes of absenteeism for children in the United States and is exacerbated by many triggers found in schools with poor IAQ (EPA, Managing Asthma in Schools, 2010). Millions of children suffer from asthma and the disease collectively accounts for more than 14 million missed school days a year (EPA, IAQ in School Performance 2003). 4 |
The amount of moisture found in buildings has been called an issue of public health by the Institute of Medicine as there is a significant association between damp indoor spaces and asthma attacks (IOM, Damp Indoor Spaces and Health, 2004). It is widely accepted that improved IAQ reduces asthma related absenteeism (HSN, Sick Schools, 2009).
Poor indoor air quality caused by dampness and mold, has also been shown to cause a significant increase in health problems. Their presence can induce coughing, throat irritation, tiredness, headaches and wheezing. People with compromised immune systems, or who are more susceptible to infections, are more likely to suffer the ill effects from mold and other products of damp, indoor environments (EPA, How does IAQ impact student performance? 2010 and IOM, Damp Indoor Spaces and Health, 2004).
The health risks associated with poor indoor air quality can be dangerous and in severe cases, deadly. Both children and adults exposed to these toxic air environments in schools are at risk for developing physical symptoms related to poor IAQ. However, the impact of polluted air on children’s health may be far greater than it is it to adults, as their bodies are still developing and are therefore more vulnerable (EPA, How Does Indoor Air Quality Impact Student Health and Performance? 2010). Also, while there are legislative mandates and systematic protections in place for adults with regard to their safety in the workplace, there are fewer protections in place for children in schools (HSN, Who’s In Charge? 2006).
A Vicious Cycle: The Impact of Improved Ventilation on Humidity and Mold
It would seem that the answer to these problems is to simply increase the level of fresh air circulating in classrooms – to dilute the levels of harmful pollutants and carbon dioxide. In theory, this is a logical solution. However, with increased fresh air there is also an increase in air moisture in humid climates which conventional HVAC systems have difficulty in controlling. Increased moisture and humidity contributes to the growth of mold and bacteria in the air which can be extremely hazardous to humans. It is therefore important to recognize that the seemingly obvious course of action to improve school air is a vicious cycle, because improving ventilation heightens the potential risk of mold and bacteria growth.
The key to mold control is humidity control. A more effective solution to this cycle is to effectively end the cycle by increasing ventilation and removing humidity. By keeping the air dry, it would also be free of mold and bacteria.
The Dangerous Impact of Poor Indoor Air Quality in Schools
Florida is one of the nation’s warmest and most humid states. Buildings are frequently affected by air quality problems due to increased heat and humidity. During the school year, 2.6 million children and hundreds of thousands of teachers and other employees spend at least six hours a day in Florida's public schools. Yet, there are still no universal laws or enforcements in place to govern how schools should monitor, detect and handle mold buildup and other indoor air-quality issues. In 2010, in an effort to uncover the full extent of the problem in Florida schools,
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