April 2010
How DOES INDOOR AIR QUALITY IMPACT STUDENT HEALTH
AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE?
The Case for Comprehensive IAQ Management in Schools
All Children Deserve a Healthy
Learning Environment
Children are inherently more vulnerable to
environmental hazards because their bodies are still
developing. Substandard environmental conditions in
schools, such as insufficient cleaning or inadequate
ventilation, can cause serious health problems for
children. Evidence continues to mount demonstrating
that indoor air quality, or IAQ, directly impacts student
academic performance and health.1'2 IAQ refers to
those characteristics of the air in indoor environments
that impact the occupants' health, comfort and ability
to perform. Taking steps to improve the IAQ of schools
is critical to bettering student health and academic
performance.
Building the Case
The Evidence Exists
Scientific evidence has long demonstrated an association
between poor IAQ and respiratory health effects,
including asthma. Maintenance issues in schools, such
as insufficient cleaning or excessive use of cleaning
chemicals, have been shown to trigger asthma and
allergies. According to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, or CDC, asthma is one of the leading
causes of school absenteeism.3 Multiple studies have
found that children's overall performance decreases with
illnesses or absences from school.4>5
The Evidence is Mounting
Evidence demonstrating the relationship between IAQ
and human performance and productivity has become
more robust. Studies demonstrate that improved IAQ
increases productivity and improves the performance of
mental tasks, such as improved concentration and recall
in both adults and children.6
Supporting Evidence from
Scientific Literature
Managing Your School Environment Can Improve
Academic Performance: A structured maintenance
program is a cornerstone of academic performance and
IAQ. With tight operating budgets, school boards and
administrators often consider the maintenance budget
as soft money, an expense that they can cut without
affecting core academic program needs. However,
the literature demonstrates otherwise, with several
studies finding that health, attendance and academic
performance improve with increased maintenance.7'8
Furthermore, schools with better physical conditions
show improved academic performance while
schools with fewer janitorial staff personnel and
higher maintenance backlogs show poorer academic
performance.9
Providing Adequate Outdoor Air Ventilation
Can Improve Student Health and Performance:
In most schools, ventilation rates are below
recommended levels.10 Growing evidence suggests that
improving outdoor air ventilation rates can improve
student and teacher performance, increase test scores,
and reduce airborne transmission of infection.U'UUH15 In
one study, students in classrooms with higher outdoor
air ventilation rates scored 14 to 15 percent higher on
standardized test scores than children in classrooms
with lower outdoor air ventilation rates.16
Dampness and Mold are Associated with Asthma
and Other Respiratory Illnesses: Studies show that
dampness and mold in homes, offices and schools cause
a significant increase in several respiratory and asthma-
related health outcomes.17'18 Symptoms identified in
building occupants exposed to dampness or mold
include: coughing, throat irritation, tiredness, headache
and increased wheezing.
(For action steps, continue onto the next page.)
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Establish an IAQ Management Program
v Leverage Your IAQ Management Program
Many effective school IAQ management programs
are implemented in conjunction with other health
programs, such as physical education, nutrition and
counseling services. IAQ implementation strategies,
including moisture management, integrated pest
management, and adequate ventilation help control
environmental triggers and interface well with asthma
and other health program initiatives. Literature
reflecting field experience with health programs
suggests that integrating related health programs into
a coordinated or comprehensive program can achieve
improved results for learning and health, and be more
resource efficient. u
April 2010
v Follow a Structured Process
The IAQ Tools for Schools Framework provides a
comprehensive approach to help maintain healthy
school environments. The Framework equips schools
with strategies to establish and sustain a successful
IAQ management plan. The Framework is also highly
flexible and adaptable allowing any school, regardless of
location, size, budget, or condition to launch, sustain or
invigorate an effective IAQ management program.
v Learn More About the IAQ Tools for Schools Program
The IAQ Tools for Schools Program provides a
variety of products, materials and tools at no cost
to help schools implement an IAQ management
program. In addition to the Framework, the IAQ
Tools for Schools Action Kit, specialized fact sheets
and checklists are available to provide in-depth
guidance and tools to support your IAQ management
program.
References
1 Stolz, A.D., A. Knickelbein, and S. Coburn. 2008. "Linking coordinated school
health to student success." Presentation at the Annual Conference of the National
Association of School Nurses, Albuquerque, NM.
2 Vinciullo, F 2008. "The relationship between multi-component school health
programs and school achievement." Presentation at the Annual Conference of the
National Association of School Nurses, Albuquerque, NM.
3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Chronic Disease
Prevention and Health Promotion. Healthy Youth! Retrieved My 14, 2009, from
CDC's Asthma Health Topics Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/Asthma/
Also see Akinbami, LJ. 2006. The State of Childhood Asthma. United States, 1980-
2005. Advance Data from Vital and Health Statistics: no 381, Revised December 29,
2006. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.
4 Silverstein, M.D., J.E. Mair, et al. 2001. "School attendance and school
performance: A population-based study of children with asthma." Journal of
Pediatrics 139(2):278-283.
5 Moonie, S., D.A. Sterling, et al. 2008. "The relationship between school absence,
academic performance, and asthma status." Journal of School Health 78:140-148.
6 For a summary of the impact of indoor environmental quality on work and school
performance, as well as other IAQ research findings, see the IAQ Scientific Findings
Resource Bank (SFRB) established as a cooperative venture between EPA and the
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: Accessible at http://www.iaqscience.lbl.
gov/performance-summary.html
7 Schneider, M. 2002. "Public school facilities and teaching: Washington, DC and
Chicago." 21st Century School Fund, Washington, D.C.
8 Earthman, G.I., C.S. Cash, and D. Van Berkum. 1995. "Student achievement and
behavior and school building condition." Journal of School Business Management,
8(3).
9 Branham, D. 2004. "The wise man builds his house upon the rock: The effects of
inadequate school building infrastructure on student attendance." Social Science
Quarterly (85)5.
10 California Energy Commission. 1995. Air exchange rates in non-residential
buildings in California. California Energy Commission.
11 Myhrvold, A.N., E. Olsen, and O. Lauridsen 1996. "Indoor environment in
schools—Pupils health and performance in regard to CO2 concentrations."
Proceedings, Indoor Air '96: The 7th International Conference on Indoor Air
Quality and Climate. Nagoya, Japan. 4:369-371.
12 Mendell, M. 1993. "Non-specific symptoms in office workers: A review and
summary of the epidemiologic literature." Indoor Air 3(4):227-236.
13 Seppanen, O., WJ. Fisk, et al. 1999. "Association of ventilation rates and CO2
concentrations with health and other responses in commercial and institutional
buildings." Indoor Air 9(4):226-252.
14 Apte, M., W Fisk, and J. Daisey. 2000. "Associations between indoor CO2
concentrations and sick building syndrome symptoms in U.S. Office buildings: An
analysis of the 1994-1996 BASE study data." Indoor Air 10(4):246-257.
15 Shendell, D. G., R. Prill, et al. 2004. "Associations between classroom CO2
concentrations and student attendance in Washington and Idaho." Indoor Air 14(5):
331-41.
16 Shaughnessy, R.J., et al. 2006. A preliminary study on the association between
ventilation rates in classrooms and student performance. Indoor Air 16(6): 465-468.
"Fisk, W.J., Q. Lei-Gomez, and M.J. Mendell. 2007. "Meta-analyses of the
associations of respiratory health effects with dampness and mold in homes."
Indoor Air 17(4):284-295.
18 Mudarri, D. and W. J. Fisk, 2007. "Public health and economic impact of
dampness and mold." Indoor Air 17(3):226-235.
For more information on this research, visit EPA's IAQ, Health and Academic Performance Web site at
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/student performance
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