HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
Your Role on the Indoor Air Quality Action Team
"Even) school [in the district] has a Healthy Schools Team dedicated to making the school safer and healthier.
The IAQ Tools for Schools checklists were very helpful; everyone uses them"
- Robin Chappell, District Health Official, Walpole, MA
Tools for Schools
Indoor Air Quality and Health
The air quality inside your school affects the health and comfort of every student and staff member. EPA's
Science Advisory Board consistently ranks indoor air pollution among the top five environmental risks to public
health. Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) is about more than just comfort. It can cause or contribute to short- and
long-term health problems, including asthma, respiratory tract infection and disease, allergic reactions,
headaches, nasal congestion, eye and skin irritations, coughing, sneezing, fatigue, dizziness,
and nausea.
As a school-based health professional—district health officer, nurse, hygienist, or dietician—you are responsible
for the health and well-being of staff and students. School nurses, in particular, can play a primary role in the
early detection of an IAQ problem when seeing children who are sick. Illnesses due to poor indoor air quality
may not, however, produce easily recognizable symptoms. If multiple pollutants are involved, tracing the
causes of the student's discomfort or illness will be your challenge.
Improving indoor air quality can reduce the number of student visits to the nurse's office, reduce absenteeism
due to illness, and enhance the general health and well-being of all students and staff.
Ensure the Good Health of the Students in Your Care
You can help the students you care for by using EPA's one-stop resource for your school building's health—the
IAQ Tools for Schools Kit. The Kit gives your school a practical plan for protecting and improving indoor air and
explains your role in the IAQ Action Team. Your input can help the team identify the sources and types of
indoor pollutants. Specifically, the Kit features forms, checklists, and a problem-solving wheel for:
• Tracking health-related complaints of students and staff and identifying patterns.
• Incorporating sensitivities to IAQ problems into student health records.
• Educating the school population about indoor air quality and health.
The IAQ problem-solving wheel helps nurses link health symptoms with possible IAQ problems. The Kit also
includes a manual, Indoor Air Pollution: An Introduction for Health Professionals, that provides an overview of acute
conditions, patterns that point to particular pollutants, and suggestions for appropriate remedial action. The
Kit's Asthma Companion Piece identifies environmental asthma triggers, showing how IAQ Tools for Schools can
reduce them in your school.
USE THE ENCLOSED CARD TO ORDER THE INDOOR AIR QUALITY TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS KIT TODAY
VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT www.epa.gov/iaq/schools
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The Issues
Indoor levels of air pollutants can be 2-5 times higher, and occasionally 100
times higher, than outdoor levels. Nearly 55 million people, 20 percent of the
U.S. population, spend their days inside elementary and secondary schools.
And according to a 1995 federal government report, an estimated 50 percent of
the nation’s schools have problems linked to poor indoor air quality. IAQ
problems can cause discomfort and contribute to short- and long-term health
problems for students and staff.
The Solution
IAQ problems can be much less expensive and time-consuming to prevent
than to fix. EPA’s IAQ Tools for Schools Kit provides you with resources and
checklists to help evaluate your school’s indoor air quality and
prevent IAQ problems. The Kit also offers easy-to-use steps
for identifying and correcting current IAQ problems.
The Team
The awareness and effort of a team of individuals will help
ensure that your school improves its indoor air quality.
The checklists in the IAQ Tools for Schools Kit provide a
thorough but simple means for all IAQ Action Team
members to contribute, including the IAQ coordinator,
administrators, teachers and staff, facility managers,
health professionals, maintenance crews, and others.
The Rewards (in addition to good indoor air quality!)
By using the Kit successfully, your school will have the opportunity to:
• Receive public recognition for outstanding
environmental leadership through EPA’s
Awards Program.
• Serve as a role model or mentor to
other schools.
• Work with EPA to communicate success
through case studies.
• Have its website link on EPA’s IAQ
page for other schools to learn from
your IAQ efforts.
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INDOOR AIR QUALITY IN SCHOOLS
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Sou$s of pollutants in and
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NDO$R SOURCES
• Stud nts and staff with
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• Classroom pets
• Exc s moisture and mold
• Dry-erase markers and
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• Dust and chalk
• cleaning materials
• Pers nal care products
• Odors and volatile organic
compounds from paint,
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• Insects and other pests
• Odors from trash
• Radon
P: nmi high-pollution areas
• Science laboratories
• Vocational arts areas
• Copy/print areas
• Smoking lounges
• Food preparation areas
OUTDOOR SOURCES
• Pollen, dust, and fungal spores
carried in from outside on
shoes and clothing
• Vehicle emissions or
unsanitary debris near
building air intakes
• Pesticides used on school
grounds
• Dumpster odors
• Leakage from underground
storage tanks
I4QCc ’ordinator
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Coo r tors Guide
Order the lAO Tools for Schools Kit today!
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LOCAL BUSINESS & COMMUNITY SPONSORSHIP
Attracting Sponsors for Your IAQ Projects
Your school can take advantage of the skills and resources available in the local business community
to help you create a healthy environment conducive to learning. Here's how.
Local businesses, associations, or non-profit organizations may be very interested in "adopting" your
school or school district to support your indoor air quality (IAQ) programs. Many employees of these
organizations will be particularly concerned about health issues because their children attend your
schools. Local sponsors may provide, for example:
• Vacuum cleaners with high-efficiency filters.
• Air flow monitors.
• Equipment, books, and manuals for IAQ training.
• Volunteer engineers to help evaluate the indoor air quality of your school.
• Grant money to help fix IAQ problems or develop educational programs in your school.
How To Find Community Sponsors
Setting up and fostering productive relationships with businesses and associations in your community can
be accomplished in many ways; here are a few ideas to get started. With your IAQ Action Team colleagues,
1, List all the people in the community that you know, or have heard about or read about, who are active in
business, educational, or civic groups, such as:
• Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Kiwanis, and the like.
• PTAs,
• City Council Business Committees.
• Other.
2. Obtain a list of local businesses and associations from the Yellow Pages or the Internet.
3. Cross-check your list of names (#1) with your list of businesses (#2) and develop a contact list.
4. Designate a dozen or so names as top priority contacts—the ones you and your colleagues believe will
be enthusiastic about your projects. Call them to explain your interest in protecting children's health by
improving IAQ in your community's schools.
(Continued on bock)
USE THE ENCLOSED CARD TO ORDER THE INDOOR AIR QUALITY TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS KIT TODAY
VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT www.epa.gov/iaq/schools
-------
IN bOOR AIR QUALITY IN SCHOOLS
5. From these calls, identify several”champions” (individuals or organizations) that will agree to network
among their contacts for your school. Invite these champions to meet with your IAQ Action Team to
learn about your projects. Your champions may become sponsors themselves.
6. Follow up with the champions to obtain names of other potential contacts.
7. If sponsors have not already emerged, continue to contact people on your original list until you identify
several organizations interested in becoming LAQ sponsors.
Your School Benefits; So Does Your Sponsor
The President’s Summit for America’s Future in 1997, which called for corporations and community
organizations to make a commitment to America’s youth, has led to a rise in corporate volunteerism. These
sponsors have found that by donating “time, talent and treasure” in the form of volunteers, equipment, or
grants, they reap big dividends:
• Developing stronger bonds with their neighbors in the community.
• Investing in the future. Education is the key to the successful future of business and
the nation’s economy.
• Enhancing reputations as good citizens and environmental stewards.
• Receiving recognition from EPA and the community.
In addition, employees given the opportunity to volunteer in their children’s schools develop stronger
bonds with the community and their company.
Order the lAO Tools for Schools Kit today!
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TEACHERS, STAFF, AND PARENTS
Your Role on the Indoor Air Quality Action Team
"It is time that we enriched our students curriculum by adding to the 3 R's. Let us add the letters IAQ
(Indoor Air Quality) to improve the quality of our children's education,"
—Frank Czapla, Jr., Business Education Teacher
Greater Nanticoke Area High School, Nanticoke, PA
Tools for Schools
Poor Indoor Air Quality Interferes with the Learning Environment
Indoor air pollution is a problem in at least half of our nation's schools—in classrooms and other learning areas
such as laboratories, libraries, and gymnasiums. Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) affects your students' and your
own health and comfort in the following ways:
• Uncomfortable, unhealthy students can be distracted and inattentive. Their concentration and
productivity suffer, which may affect their performance.
• Students with asthma or allergies are particularly sensitive to indoor air pollutants, resulting in
increased or more severe reactions and episodes.
• Sickness and absenteeism rise. Absent students miss out on valuable learning experiences.
• Your energy levels and performance suffer because of sickness and absenteeism.
The good news is that indoor air pollution is preventable! You can help ensure that classrooms are healthy
learning environments, and your students and their parents will be thankful for your effort.
Ensure a Healthy Classroom for Everyone
EPA's IAQ Tools for Schools Kit gives your school common-sense guidance on IAQ issues. This practical Kit
explains how to identify and prevent IAQ problems and how to resolve them if they occur. As a member of
your school's IAQ Action Team, you are key to making sure that your classroom is a healthy, comfortable
learning space for your students and yourself.
The MQ Tools for Schools Kit is a one-stop resource for your school building's health. The Kit includes a
teacher's checklist covering indoor air quality basics related to classroom chalk dust and dry-erase markers,
animals in the classroom, art and science supplies, cleaning supplies, ventilation, and classroom drains, fans, or
fume hoods.
Other team members have their own checklists; together, you evaluate potential IAQ problems and resolve
them before they become health hazards. Because you're part of a team, this won't take much of your time. In
the process, your students can learn about good indoor air quality. For science teachers, EPA's web site offers
ideas for adding IAQ to your curriculum.
Act now to ensure comfort, health, and reduced sick days for your
students. Help lower the risk of long-term health problems related
to indoor air quality in your school.
USE THE ENCLOSED CARD TO ORDER THE INDOOR AIR QUALITY TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS KIT TODAY
VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT www.epa.gov/iaq/schools
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INDOOR AIR
MI ining good
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sc means:
C 5f rolling airborne
po I tants
Bri ing in and distributing
a ate outside air
Ofl: rolling moisture
and old
Mai taming acceptable
tern, erature and humidity
Sources of pollutants in and
aroufld schools
1NDØCR SOURCES
• Students and staff with
communicable diseases
Cia room pets
•Excess moisture and mold
• thy-erase markers and
similar pens
• Dust and chalk
• Cleaning materials
• Personal care products
• Odors and volatile organic
compounds from paint, caulk,
adhesives
• Insects and other pests
• Odors from trash
• Radon
Potential high-pollution areas
• Science laboratories
• Vocational arts areas
• Copy/print areas
• Smoking lounges
• Food preparation areas
OUTDOOR SOURCES
• Pollen, dust, and fungal
spores carried in from outside
on shoes and clothing
• Vehicle emissions or
unsanitary debris near
building air intakes
• Pesticides used on school
grounds
• Dumpster odors
• Leakage from underground
storage tanks
QUALITY
The Issues
IN SCHOOLS
Indoor levels of air pollutants can be 2-5 times higher, and occasionally 100
times higher, than outdoor levels. Nearly 55 million people, 20 percent of the
U.S. population, spend their days inside elementary and secondary schools.
And according to a 1995 federal government report, an estimated 50 percent of
the nation’s schools have problems linked to poor indoor air quality. IAQ
problems can cause discomfort and contribute to short- and long-term health
problems for students and staff.
The Solution
IAQ problems can be much less expensive and time-consuming
c e-% ’ \ to prevent than to fix. EPA’s IAQ Tools for Schools Kit provides
‘ \ you with resources and checklists to help evaluate your
\ school’s indoor air quality and prevent IAQ problems. The
Kit also offers easy-to-use steps for identifying and
correcting current IAQ problems.
:;.— The awareness and effort of a team of individuals will
help ensure that your school improves its indoor air
__________________ quality. The checklists in the IAQ Tools for Schools Kit
provide a thorough but simple means for all IAQ Action Team
members to contribute, including the IAQ coordinator, administrators,
teachers and staff, facility managers, health professionals, maintenance crews,
and others.
The Rewards (in addition to good indoor air quality!)
By using the Kit successfully, your school will have the opportunity to:
• Receive public recognition for outstanding
environmental leadership through
EPA’s Awards Program.
• Serve as a role model or
mentor to other schools.
• Work with EPA to com-
municate success through
case studies.
• Have its website link on
EPA’s IAQ page for other
schools to learn from your
TAQ efforts.
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ADMINISTRATORS AND SCHOOL BOARDS
Your Role on the Indoor Air Quality Action Team
Indoor Air Quality
Tools for Schools
An EPA economic analysis of repairs performed at an elementary school showed that if $370 per year
over 22 years (a total of $8,140) had been spent on preventive maintenance, $15 million in repairs could
have been avoided.
— EPA Indoor Environments Division
A Healthy Indoor Environment is Essential for Your School(s)
Your staff and students deserve a healthy indoor environment that is conducive to teaching and learning. Yet
indoor levels of air pollutants may be 2-5 times higher, and occasionally 100 times higher, than outdoor
levels. Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) can cause headaches, fatigue, sinus congestion, coughing, and sneezing;
it can promote the spread of airborne infectious diseases. Indoor pollutants can be particularly harmful to
students with allergies or asthma.
Failing to address poor indoor air quality can ...
• Result in an unfavorable learning environment for students, reduce the performance and
effectiveness of teachers and staff, and increase absenteeism.
• Generate negative publicity damaging to the school's and administration's image and
effectiveness.
• Strain relationships among parents, teachers, and the school administration.
• Create liability problems.
• Accelerate the deterioration and reduce the efficiency of the school's physical plant
and equipment.
It costs less to prevent IAQ problems or correct potential problems now than it will to fix them later when
they are more serious.
EPA's IAQ Tools for Schools Kit Provides Guidance
The IAQ Tools for Schools Kit provides common-sense guidance to help your school prevent and solve most
indoor air quality problems with little cost and minimal effort from school staff. The highest levels of school
administration must, however, be committed to indoor air quality and take the lead. This starts with
identifying and empowering an IAQ Coordinator in each school or at the district level—often the facilities
manager, principal, or vice principal—to organize your school's IAQ efforts.
Empower and be part of your school's IAQ Action Team. Draw
on your contacts in the community to identify local business
and community sponsors for your school's IAQ campaign.
See the Community Sponsorship insert for more information.
USE THE ENCLOSED CARD TO ORDER THE INDOOR AIR QUALITY TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS KIT TODAY
VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT www.epa.gov/iaq/schools
-------
INDOOR AIR QUALITY IN SCHOOLS
Maint ining good
indo air quality in your
sc means:
Ccmtrolling airborne
pal tants
Brit ing in and distributing
ade uate outside air
Con oiling moisture
and (n old
• Maintaining acceptable
temperature and humidity
The Issues
Indoor levels of air pollutants can be 2-5 times higher, and occasionally 100
times higher, than outdoor levels. Nearly 55 million people, 20 percent of the
U.S. population, spend their days inside elementary and secondary schools.
And according to a 1995 federal government report, an estimated 50 percent of
the nation’s schools have problems linked to poor indoor air quality. IAQ
problems can cause discomfort and contribute to short- and long-term health
problems for students and staff.
The Solution
Sources of pollutants in and IAQ problems can be much less expensive and time-consuming to prevent
around schools: than fix. EPA’s L4Q Tools for Schools Kit provides you with resources and
iNDOOR SOURCES checklists to help evaluate your school’s indoor air quality
• Students and staff with and prevent IAQ problems. The Kit also offers easy-to-use
iunicab1e diseases . - steps for identifying and correcting current IAQ problems.
room pets
s moisture and mold t- - The Team
rase markers
and similar pens
• Dust and chalk
• Cleaning materials
• Personal care products
• Odors and volatile organic
compounds from paint, caulk,
adhesives --
• Insects and other pests
• Odors from trash
• Radon
Potential high-pollution a. as
• Science laboratories
• Vocational arts areas
• Copy/print areas
• Smoking lounges
• Food preparation areas
OUTDOOR SOURCES
• Pollen, dust, and fungal
spores carried in from outside
on shoes and clothing
• Vehicle emissions or
unsanitary debris near
building air intakes
• Pesticides used on school
grounds
• Dumpster odors
• Leakage from underground
storage tanks
The Rewards (in addition to good indoor air quality!)
By using the the Kit successfully, your school will have the opportunity to:
• Receive public recognition for outstanding environmental
leadership through EPA’s Awards Program.
• Serve as a role model or mentor to other schools.
• Work with EPA to
communicate
success through
case studies.
• Have its website
link on EPA’s
IAQ page for other
schools to
learn from
your IAQ efforts.
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The awareness and effort of a team of individuals will
help ensure that your school improves its indoor air
quality. The checklists in the IAQ Tools for Schools Kit
provide a thorough but simple means for all 1AQ Action
Team, members to contribute, including the IAQ
coordinator, administrators, teachers and staff, facility
managers, health professionals, maintenance crews,
and others.
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Order the IAQ Tools for Schools Kit today!
-------
FACILITY MANAGERS
Your Role on the Indoor Air Quality Action Team
Indoor Air Quality
"The IAQ Took for Schools surveys and checklists were the most helpful. We sent them to each staff member
and developed a database of comments and actions taken to fix the problem. The Kit opened the lines of
communication and allowed for the administrative staff to be made more aware of IAQ issues."
— Doug Renkosik, Facilities Manager, Plainfield Elementary School, Des Plaines, IL
FOR FACILITY
MANAGERS, THE IAQ
TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS
KIT INCLUDES A ...
Ventilation Checklist
* Outdoor air intakes, air
distribution, adequacy of
outdoor air supply
* Exhaust systems
• System cleanliness
' System controls
Building Maintenance
Checklist
• Maintenance supplies
* Dust control
• Drain traps
* Moisture, leaks, spills
* Combustion appliances
• Pest control
Renovation and Repairs
Checklist
* General repairs
• Painting, flooring, roofing
Waste Management
Checklist
* Food waste
* Recycling bins
* Dumpsters
* Waste containers
Create a Healthy Indoor Environment
Facility Managers in K-12 schools work hard every day to ensure a healthy,
high-quality learning and teaching environment for students and staff. Your
goal is to provide energy-efficient facilities that have quality lighting,
comfortable temperature, and good indoor air quality (IAQ)—all within a
tight budget.
EPA's IAQ Tools for Schools Kit is designed to provide you with the tools and
information needed to fix and prevent IAQ problems and maintain a healthy
indoor environment with minimal effort and cost.
The IAQ Tools for Schools Kit helps your school develop a comprehensive IAQ
management plan. With its checklists for teachers, administrators, facilities
staff, health professionals, and others, the Kit provides step-by-step practical
guidance for sharing IAQ duties. Taking a proactive approach to preventing
IAQ problems before they occur will save your school significant costs in the
long run. Everyone working together may also allow you to reduce the
amount of time you currently spend on IAQ issues.
Poor IAQ can . . .
* Accelerate deterioration and reduce efficiency of the school's physical plant
and equipment.
• Affect student comfort, the learning environment, and attendance.
• Increase the likelihood that schools will have to be closed.
• Cost less if prevented; cost significantly more if deferred.
• Reduce the productivity of teachers and staff due to discomfort,
sickness, or absenteeism.
• Increase the potential for long-term health problems for students
and staff.
• Strain the relationship between administrators and facilities staff.
The IAQ Tools for Schools Kit should be an
essential part of every Facility Manager's library,
serving as a daily reference guide and
management tool.
USE THE ENCLOSED CARD TO ORDER THE INDOOR AIR QUALITY TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS KIT TODAY
VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT www.epa.gov/iaq/schools
-------
ining good
air quality in your
means:
The Issues
Indoor levels of air pollutants can be 2-5 times higher, and occasionally 100
times higher, than outdoor levels. Nearly 55 million people, 20 percent of the
U.S. population, spend their days inside elementary and secondary schools.
And according to a 1995 federal government report, an estimated 50 percent of
the nation’s schools have problems linked to poor indoor air quality. IAQ
problems can cause discomfort and contribute to short- and long-term health
problems for students and staff.
The Solution
IAQ problems can be much less expensive and time-consuming to prevent
than to fix. EPA’s IAQ Tools for Schools Kit provides you with resources and
checklists to help evaluate your school’s indoor air quality and
prevent IAQ problems. The Kit also offers easy-to-use steps
for identifying and correcting current IAQ problems.
The Team
The awareness and effort of a team of individuals will help
ensure that your school improves its indoor air quality. The
checklists in the IAQ Tools for Schools Kit provide a
thorough but simple means for all IAQ Action Team
members to contribute, including the IAQ coordinator,
administrators, teachers and staff, facility managers, health
professionals, maintenance crews, and others.
The_Rewards (in addition to good indoor air quality!)
By using the Kit successfully, your school will have the opportunity to:
• Receive public recognition for outstanding environmental
leadership through EPA’s Awards Program.
• Serve as a role model or mentor to other schools.
• Work with EPA to communicate success through case studies.
• Have its website link on EPA’s IAQ page for other schools to learn from
your IAQ efforts.
INDOOR AIR QUALITY IN SCHOOLS
Mai
indc
sch*
) Co oiling airborne
poll tants
Bri ing in and distributing
ade uate outside air
• Con rolling moisture
and mold
Mai taming acceptable
tem erature and humidity
Sou $ of pollutants in and
schools
1t O R SOURCES
• Sti.Jents and staff with
com)nunicable diseases
• Cif room pets
• Excess moisture and mold
• Dry-erase markers and
similar pens
• Dust and chalk
• Cleaning materials
• Personal care products
• Odors and volatile organic
compounds from paint, caulk,
adhesives
• Insects and other pests
• Odors from trash ______
• Radon
Potential high-pollution areas
• Science laboratories
• Vocational arts areas
• Copy/print areas
• Smoking lounges
• Food preparation areas
OUTDOOR SOURCES
• Pollen, dust, and fungal
spores carried in from outside
on shoes and clothing
• Vehicle emissions or
unsanitary debris near
building air intakes
• Pesticides used on school
grounds
• Dumpster odors
• Leakage from underground
storage tanks
L4Q Coordinator
The QCoordinator
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Order the lAO Tools for Schools Kit today!
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