On this page:

• Why It's Important
• What You Can Do
• EPA and Federal Partners
• National Organizations
• Regional, State and Local Resources

Why It's Important

• Studies show that one-half of our nation's 115,000 schools have problems linked to indoor air quality (IAQ).
• Students are at greater risk because of the hours spent in school facilities and because children are often susceptible to pollutants.
• The health and comfort of students and teachers are among the many factors that contribute to learning and productivity in the classroom, which in turn affect performance and achievement.

What You Can Do

• Ensure proper maintenance of the school's HVAC system to promote ventilation.
• Install and regularly replace filters (high efficiency, if possible).
• Install carbon monoxide detectors, especially near combustion sources (e.g., boilers, stoves, hot water heaters).
• Be sure to consider indoor air quality in the design of a new school building.
• Read the Ensure Good Ventilation component of EPA's model school environmental health program with actions for schools to improve the quality of indoor air.

EPA and Federal Partners

• EPA's Indoor Air Quality website provides access to resources across EPA offices.
• EPA's Best Practices for Reducing Near-Road Air Pollution Exposure at Schools publication can be used by schools to reduce exposure to traffic-related air pollution.
• EPA's Energy Savings Plus Health: IAQ Guidelines for School Building Upgrades equips school districts to integrate indoor air quality protections into school energy efficiency retrofits and other building upgrade projects. The guidelines help school districts starting the building retrofit process to optimize energy efficiency upgrades without compromising occupant health.
• Tools for Schools Indoor Air Quality Video Exit by Rutgers University, with support from EPA, presents a two-part video to help identify, prevent and treat common IAQ issues that may arise in schools.
• Indoor Air Quality Scientific Findings Resource Bank provides information summarizing the state of scientific knowledge about the relationships between people's health and productivity and the indoor air conditions or associated building characteristics in which the people work or reside. The Resource Bank is run by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Indoor Environment Group and is funded through an interagency agreement with EPA.
• The School IAQ Assessment mobile app provides schools and school districts find strategies for addressing critical building-related environmental health issues such as ventilation, cleaning and maintenance, environmental asthma triggers, radon, and integrated pest management. The app complements existing indoor air quality management programs and can be used as the central tracking mechanism to organize building assessments and prioritize improvements.

The following links exit the site Exit

National Organizations