
Confession time: I don’t know if my kids’ schools have air quality management programs in place. Do you? To be fair, if you’re in the same boat as me, we’re not bad parents! Caregivers are frequently unaware of school conditions, including indoor air quality.
Still, kids spend so much time at school, mostly indoors. I’d like to know what mine are breathing. Nearly 55 million children and 6 million teachers and other adults—approximately 1/6th of the US population—spend nearly every day inside schools. When school air quality is unhealthy, students and staff suffer. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says indoor levels of pollutants can be two to five times (and sometimes more than 100 times) higher than outdoor levels. That’s not reassuring.
Poor indoor air quality in schools can come from a variety of sources including tailpipe pollution, mold, cleaning products, pesticides, and other toxic chemicals. These are not only concerns in old and decaying schools; new buildings are not immune to poor indoor air quality. Whatever kind of school your kids attend, poor indoor air quality has been linked to decreased concentration and reduced academic performance. It can exacerbate learning and behavioral disorders, increase absenteeism, and also contribute to asthma attacks, headaches, fatigue, nausea, and rashes.
Clean school air is essential for kids and staff. Yet EPA estimates that half of students in the US spend the day in schools that do not have an air quality management plan.
Children in communities of color and low-income communities are disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards, including at school. Systemic racism has created practices that force minority families to attend school in places more susceptible to toxic air pollution. These schools are more likely to be dilapidated or decaying and possess fewer resources to fix—or prevent—the issues leading to poor indoor air quality. They’re also more likely to be sited near industrial facilities.
Now for some good news: There is plenty that can be done to improve and manage school indoor air quality. Some simple steps are even free, like opening windows when weather and outdoor air pollution permits. Other improvements, like fixing a leaky roof, will require expert help.
Also good news: both the Department of Energy, through its Renew America’s Schools program, and the EPA have funding available for local districts to address school air pollution.
Whether or not your district decides to apply for a grant, here are three quick and easy fixes to clean school air:
- Tailpipe pollution: Establish–and enforce!–no idling rules for buses, trucks, and drop-off and pick-up lines, especially near playgrounds, doors, and windows.
- Safer cleaning: Some states already require the use of green cleaning products in schools to safeguard the health of maintenance workers, students, and staff. If yours does not, ask to replace conventional cleaners with widely available and effective options with fewer or no hazardous chemicals.
- Pesticides: Prevention can minimize infestations, reducing pesticide use, so caulk cracks and take similar measures. Should a pest problem arise, rely on natural or safer products.
For additional simple steps, plus tips on learning about school conditions, joining forces with similarly interested community members, and generally prioritizing improved school air for our kids to breathe, check out our latest fact sheet, INDOOR AIR QUALITY IN SCHOOLS.