ANNOUNCEMENT
December 3, 2000

HOW SAFE IS THE AIR YOUR CHILD IS BREATHING?

You may have seen it in the November 12, 2000 New York Times article entitled, "Sick Schools, Sick Students." Or maybe you heard about it on the local news stations. Possibly you saw The Hartford Courant's coverage of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering's (CASE) report to the Environmental Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly. Perhaps your child is one of the many in Branford, Fairfield and Hamden and elsewhere who are directly impacted. As Connecticut's schools age, the question is--just how safe is the air your child is breathing?

"EPA estimates that human exposure to (indoor) air pollutants can be 2-5 times, and occasionally more than 100 times, higher than outdoor levels. This is a particular concern because most people spend approximately 90% of their time indoors," says the Connecticut School Indoor Environment Resource Team brochure, Promoting EPA's Tools for Schools.

Connecticut currently has no standards or regulations concerning indoor air quality (IAQ) and there is no formal organization with overall responsibility for IAQ issues. Maintenance and evaluation are left up to individual school systems. The CASE report notes that the majority of schools may have indoor air quality problems. The report suggests that the General Assembly establish a formal organization to improve and coordinate efforts to evaluate IAQ and possible health effects on building occupants; establish guidelines and standards for new construction; develop guidelines and practices and/or regulations for maintaining acceptable IAQ; provide training and funding to go with this proposal; and require schools to establish IAQ management plans, etc. Watch for legislative action in the upcoming year.

The EPA has developed an IAQ program called Tools for Schools Action Kit. This program is preventative and proactive-something your school can do now to prevent future problems. The kit, however, is not designed for schools with identified and immediate problems. 

The program is based on the principles that 

1. Many IAQ problems can be prevented by the school community; 
2. IAQ problems can often be resolved using the skills of school staff; and 
3. Expenditures and effort to prevent most IAQ problems is a fraction of that required to solve problems once they develop.

The kit promotes a low-cost, team-based approach to improving IAQ that includes administrators, parents, teachers and maintenance staff. The Connecticut School Indoor Environment Resource Team, comprised of IAQ specialists, industrial hygienists, epidemiologists, educators and trainers stands ready to assist schools who wish to implement the program. Both the American Lung Association and the CT Council on Occupational Safety & Health have received grants that can fund 50 schools' participation in this program. To get a kit and get started, contact Deb Hovey at the CT Council on Occupational Safety & Health at 860-549-1877 (e-mail: connecticosh@snet.net), or contact Angie Testa of the American Lung Association at 860-289-5401.

What else can a PTA do and what should a parent know? Find out the facts about IAQ.