This is Part 1 in a 3-part series about indoor air quality. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for part 2, about indoor air quality in our homes, and part 3, about the people working on systemic solutions to poor indoor air quality.
Jayne Black had never really thought about indoor air pollution. The mother of four in de Pere, Wisconsin, was working as a pre-kindergarten teacher when she started an organization called Green Schools Rock to cultivate green leaders within her school system and help her students create more sustainable schools. As she began studying the pillars of a green school, she realized an important one was indoor air quality. Soon after, she realized there was no federal regulation to monitor indoor air quality in schools.
“It’s the elephant in the room that no one’s really talking about,” says Black. “The biggest thing we’re lacking is a public outcry. We’re not cued into indoor air quality.”
Black’s children, including a son with asthma and a daughter with multiple sclerosis, attended de Pere schools, but back then, indoor air quality wasn’t at the forefront of her mind either.
Tell EPA: Our Children Deserve a Clean Ride to School
Up to half of U.S. schools have poor indoor air quality
Indoor air quality is an issue for all students who spend most of their days inside classrooms. Poor indoor air circulation can lead to reduced academic performance, especially for younger students who are at risk of learning and behavioral disorders. Indoor levels of air pollution can be two to five times higher than outdoor levels, and sometimes more than 100 times, according to EPA. Poor indoor air quality can contribute to headaches, fatigue, nausea, rashes, and asthma attacks, like Black’s son suffered from.
Last year, Black went to her state representative and together they wrote a constituent bill—AB 434—which requires the Department of Health Services to establish an indoor air quality inspection and evaluation program for public school buildings used by students.
Engaged parents and state legislation are essential because most schools don’t monitor their indoor air pollution. Though EPA has little data regarding how contaminated school classrooms are, the agency estimates that up to half of the nation’s schools have issues with indoor environmental quality. The main culprits for unhealthy air are tailpipe pollution from idling diesel buses and delivery trucks, proximity to industrial pollution, mold, and chemicals in conventional cleaning products and building materials like paint or furniture, plus pesticides used around schoolyards. Older facilities frequently contain hazardous air-polluting materials like asbestos, radon, lead dust from paint, and mercury in flooring. Before founding Green Schools Rock, Black was unaware of these issues.
Across the country, other moms are making similar discoveries. In 2019, Trisha Dello Iacono felt her son was getting sick from his New Jersey elementary school after he developed migraines, nausea that led to vomiting, rashes on his hands, and a tic. Seeking a source for her son’s health concerns, she discovered that the all-purpose room where he was practicing for a school play had a rubber-like synthetic flooring that contained phenylmercuric acetate, which released mercury vapors into the air. The New Jersey Department of Health lists the chemical as a possible carcinogen that could also cause birth defects. Ultimately, Dello Iacono moved her son to another school district in order to keep him safe.
What parents, caregivers, and schools can do
For parents and caregivers who are concerned about indoor air quality at their school districts, moving children to new schools or drafting state legislation may not be an option. There are ways to improve indoor air quality in any given school building. Simple steps include opening windows to increase ventilation (on days when outdoor air quality is safe) and fixing a leaky roof. Many schools adopt a no idling rule for diesel school buses, delivery trucks, and vehicles in the pickup and drop-off lines. Teachers can also declutter classrooms to increase airflow, and schools can switch to safer cleaning products. Some states, including New York and Illinois, even specify that schools must purchase green cleaning products.
Simple steps like increasing ventilation plus installing filtration systems can reduce allergens like pollen and dust, along with wildfire smoke, an increasing concern at school and beyond, especially in the months on either side of summer break. This may sound expensive, and many school districts nationwide are strapped for cash, but funds are available to address school air pollution through EPA and the Department of Energy’s Renew America’s Schools program.
Tuesday, May 7, is World Asthma Day, and Black, now Moms’ Wisconsin Field Organizer, says it’s the perfect day for other parents and caregivers to ask their local school boards and state legislatures for change in their schools, regions, and states. Change could be something as small as adding an air purifier into a classroom or as large as writing and advocating for a new state law, says Black.
“I didn’t even realize that my school could have been the thing making my son sick,” she says. “If your child has medical issues that are compromised by poor indoor air quality, as a parent you can work with the school to advocate for yourself.”