Hey There! Some Fascinating Facts You Should Know!
- Did you know that indoor air pollution is among the top five environmental risks to public health, as rated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)?
- It's quite alarming that indoor levels of pollutants can be twice or even five times higher than the levels found outdoors! And in some cases, it can even exceed outdoor levels by more than 100 times!
- Staggeringly, most Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors.
Understanding Air Quality Levels Within Homes and School Buildings
With bell towers chiming across the country, a brand-new academic year is beginning. Students of all ages are flocking into the over 129,000 public and private schools spread out in the United States. However, this is not just the students who need a little extra learning this year; parents should get up-to-speed on the air quality their children are exposed to while they're in school and on their way to it. Their health is one of the must-have essentials for a successful school year!
Given the long school days, including before or after school care, tutoring, clubs, and activities, students can spend a substantial amount of their weekdays inside school buildings and on school grounds. Sometimes, these areas can harbor hidden threats to your child's health.
Indoor Air Quality and Your Child's Health
According to the EPA, indoor air pollution merits attention because levels of pollutants inside can be doubly or even five times higher than on the outdoors. In extreme cases, pollutant levels can be over 100 times higher than what's found outside. With Americans spending a whopping 90% of their time indoors, the EPA consistently ranks indoor air pollution as one of the top five environmental risks to public health. Culprits include dust, mold, radon, secondhand smoke, pests, outside air intake, carbon monoxide, lead, and even building materials.
Aging School Buildings and Air Quality
Data from a 2014 survey by the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that the average age of school buildings in the U.S. is approximately 60 years old. Given that half of these structures have reported issues with indoor air quality, it's essential to be aware of the potential health hazards. Exposure to these pollutants can trigger allergic reactions, cause fatigue, headaches, and provoke respiratory issues in children. For the one in 13 school-aged children diagnosed with asthma, poor indoor and outdoor air quality can exacerbate their symptoms, contributing to asthma becoming the leading cause of school absenteeism due to chronic illness.
What Can You Do?
You can take proactive steps to improve the air quality at and around your child's school by reducing the number of pollutants released daily. For instance, consider carpooling with other parents to reduce the number of individual vehicle trips to and from the school building. If you live nearby, consider walking with your child to school or even biking if they're old enough and the path is safe. These simple steps can make a big difference!
Key Insights:
- Common Indoor Air Pollutants: Includes Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), dust mites, mold, cockroaches, mice, pesticides, phthalates, and building materials. VOCs can cause respiratory issues and can exacerbate conditions like asthma. Dust mites, mold, cockroaches, and mice can trigger allergic reactions and contribute to respiratory problems.
- Potential Health Effects: Exposure to these pollutants can lead to a range of health issues, such as respiratory problems, short-term symptoms (e.g., irritated eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, nausea, and lethargy), and long-term effects (e.g., decreased academic performance and increased absenteeism due to health issues). Better ventilation, filtration systems, and healthy cleaning products can help mitigate these effects.
- To better understand the health risks associated with your child's education, take note of the alarming fact that indoor air pollution, rated as one of the top five environmental risks to public health by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), can be twice or even five times higher indoors than outdoors.
- Pondering the facts about health and environment, it's crucial to remember that climate change and environmental-science play significant roles in understanding the impact of indoor pollutants on our health, particularly in the context of climate change and its effects on buildings and air quality.
- In the realm of education-and-self-development, it's imperative to acknowledge that a successful school year not only requires good grades but also prioritizing health-and-wellness, which includes monitoring the air quality that students are exposed to while they're in school and on their way to it.
- To combat the effects of indoor air pollution in schools, students, parents, and educators must unite and focus on solutions such as promoting science in classrooms, advocating for healthier school buildings, and encouraging sustainable practices in terms of climate-change, such as carpooling, walking, or biking to school, which not only benefits the environment but also improves the overall air quality.
