Indoor Air in Tribal Schools Mansel A Nelson Tribal Environmental Education Outreach Program Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals Northern Arizona University Welcome to Indoor Air in Tribal Schools – Asthma, Tools for Schools, Radon and Mold, the fifth in the series of six webinars for the Clean, Green and Healthy Tribal Schools Initiative that have been broadcast each Wednesday since January 18 and through February 22 at this same time. Several of the programs are double features, such as the one next week on Energy Conservation and Water Conservation. You are joining 106 other guests from communities, tribes, government agencies, universities, child care programs, state employees and businesses. Thank you for your interest in the health of our schools and communities. nau.edu/iaqtc

Indoor Air in Tribal Schools IAQ in Tribal Schools EPA IAQ Tools for Schools Open Airways ITEP Resources Mansel: After an introduction to our lungs, we will be talking about IAQ in tribal schools. We will introduce the EPA Tools for Schools program, which can help you manage the air quality in your school building. Components of the TfS program include asthma, radon and mold, which we will also be talking about. Finally we will share some resources from our organization – the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals. Graylynn: Both Mansel and I worked on separate occasions with the Tohono O’Odham school and environmental office to conduct indoor air assessments. During both visits, we worked with the teachers and students on the importance of conducting indoor air quality assessments as well. We also walked through the assessment process with the students and staff. Pictured is a Tohono O’Odham student with a Wizard Stick, which will be described later in our presentation. Indoor Air Quality Assessment at Tohono O’Odham

What are common symptoms indicating IAQ issues in schools? Eye, nose, and throat irritation Coughing, sneezing, and wheezing Asthma attacks Headaches Fatigue Aggravated allergies and asthma Respiratory infections Graylynn: Individuals in school may notice there is an indoor air quality issue if they begin experiencing symptoms such as couching, headaches, and eye, nose, and throat irritation. Toronto Sun 12.07.11 nau.edu/iaqtc

What are common concerns in tribal schools? Many older buildings don’t have active ventilation Schools with HVAC may reduce fresh air intake to conserve energy (and money) Mold (really a moisture issue) Back-logged Maintenance Shortage of custodial staff Obsolete cleaning practices Mansel: Tribal schools have many of the issues that appear in all schools. One of the issues I frequently see as I visit schools is that tribal schools are often older buildings that don’t have active ventilation, thus depending on doors and windows for ventilation. Tribal schools that do have HVAC systems often reduce their fresh air intake to conserve energy and money. In part because of back-logged maintenance, tribal schools will often have leaky roofs, which results in mold growth. Between back-logged maintenance and a shortage of custodial staff tribal buildings are often poorly maintained and the custodian staff are often using obsolete cleaning practices. Toronto Sun 12.07.11 nau.edu/iaqtc

What are pollutant sources in tribal schools? People – everyone is a source of pollutants Personal care products Students & staff with communicable diseases Radon Classroom pets Excess moisture leading to mold Dry-erase markers and chalk Mansel: The most common pollutant source is people. Each person brings with them a variety of pollutants including body odors and attempts to hide body odors with chemicals. People also carry diseases which can be shared via the air. An important pollutant source often overlooked is radon, which comes from the earth. We will be talking more about radon later in the presentation. Teachers and students bring a variety of air pollutant sources into the room including pets and dirt on their feet. The classroom can also be impacted by pollutants from the outside. The picture represents something I find all too often in classrooms. When I asked a teacher why they had a chemical “air freshener” in the classroom I was informed that sixth graders stink. Air fresheners in the classroom add more pollutants to the air and should be recognized as a cry for help. nau.edu/iaqtc

What are pollutant sources in tribal schools? (cont.) Cleaning materials Odors from paint, caulk, and adhesives Insects and other pests Odors from trash Outdoor pollutants

Indoor Air Quality in Tribal Schools Promote a healthy learning environment at your school to reduce absenteeism, improve test scores and enhance student and staff productivity Graylynn: And now I’d like to introduce the Tools for Schools Program. The Tools for Schools Program was developed by the EPA and is a comprehensive indoor air quality management program. The purpose of the program is to promote a healthy learning environment to reduce absenteeism, improve test scores and enhance student and staff productivity. nau.edu/iaqtc

What is the EPA IAQ TfS Program? Guides & Check lists for IAQ Coordinator Teachers Administrators Maintenance staff Health staff Video Collection Action plan Ventilation basics Walk through guide Graylynn: A Tools for Schools Action Kit is available online through the EPA website. The kit provides simple, easy-to-follow steps to implement an indoor air quality management program. The kit includes resources, checklists for the various individuals within a school such as the cafeteria staff and custodial staff. The Action Kit is available online through the website address www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/actionkit.html IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/actionkit.html nau.edu/iaqtc

Guides and Checklists nau.edu/iaqtc Graylynn: This image shows all the different checklists available, checklists for different professionals working in a school like the teachers, nurses, facility manger, and food service professionals. They are easy to follow and understand and will help you identify potential indoor air quality issues within a school. nau.edu/iaqtc

Framework for IAQ TfS Key Drivers 1. Organize 4. Act Get buy in from school leadership Create a Team & Coordinator 2. Assess Do initial school walk-through Listen to occupants 3. Plan Prioritize actions Develop goals 4. Act Education of occupants 5. Evaluate Measure impacts Return on Investment (ROI) 6. Communicate Transparent Share results Graylynn: The Framework is designed to promote the proven approaches and strategies for IAQ management and can help everyone involved in your IAQ program understand the overarching purpose of the work that your team does every day and how those day-to-day tasks can translate into significant environmental health achievements in your schools. nau.edu/iaqtc

Framework for IAQ TfS Technical Solutions Quality HVAC Control Moisture/Mold Integrated Pest Management Effective Cleaning/Maintenance Materials Selection Aggressive Source Control Graylynn: The technical solutions help school faciltiies and maintenance staff address issues to effectively manage indoor air quality risks. For example, solutions for providing quality HVAC include: Inspect HVAC systems on a regular basis and establish a maintenance plan. Change filters on a regular basis. Keep unit ventilators clear of books, papers, and other tiems. Mansel will address moisture and source control and a previous webinar with Mike Daniels addressed Integrated Pest Management.

What else could we consider? Measurements Smoke Stick to measure air movement Carbon Dioxide monitor to measure ventilation Carbon monoxide monitor Moisture meters Mansel: In addition to the EPA TfS program we would recommend some additional basic measurements. The picture shows Kermit Snow from Ft Belknap using a smoke stick, which is a method for detecting air flow. Kermit is checking to make sure the fume hood is working. Another device that I would highly recommend is a carbon dioxide meter, which allows you to indirectly measure ventilation. When a classroom is not adequately ventilated you can assume other pollutants are also building up, including body odors. A carbon monoxide monitor is important for any building that has combustion devices such as hot water heaters, boilers and stoves. We would also recommend a moisture meter to help identify moisture problems that may lead to mold. There are many other measurements you might want to consider, but I consider these as basic. nau.edu/iaqtc

Student Involvement Curricular activities Assessment Feedback Communication Curriculum Resources Hydroville www.hydroville.org/air IAQ Lesson Plans www.neahin.org/educator-resources/ understanding-the-indoor.html Green Ribbon Schools http://www.greenribbonschools.org/ Graylynn: Student involvement is a great way to teach about indoor air quality while conducting an assessment of the school. Hydroville, one of the resources listed, has 34 lessons on indoor air quality. Students work in teams to solve environmental health problems based on real-life occurrences. This integrated curricula promotes with teamwork, critical thinking, subject integration, and problem-solving. It’s a wonderful resources that we used for our summer program. nau.edu/iaqtc

Open Airways for Schools Provided by American Lung Association Educates and empowers children for asthma self- management. You can facilitate Open Airways instruction in tribal schools Become an instructor OR Connect instructors with schools http://www.lung.org/lung-disease/asthma/in-schools/open- airways/open-airways-for-schools-1.html Graylynn: Asthma in tribal communities is a particular concern. A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that asthma affects almost 12 percent of people living in tribal communities – nearly double the current national average of 7 percent. Asthma also affects American Indian/Alaska Native children at a higher rate than children nationwide. nau.edu/iaqtc

Conducting Building Assessments Provided by Northwest Clean Air Agency Resources and ideas for building assessments Information on mold in schools Measurements in schools Conducting walk-throughs www.nwcleanair.org/aqprograms/indoorAir.htm Graylynn: Asthma in tribal communities is a particular concern. A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that asthma affects almost 12 percent of people living in tribal communities – nearly double the current national average of 7 percent. Asthma also affects American Indian/Alaska Native children at a higher rate than children nationwide. nau.edu/iaqtc

More Information EPA Healthy School Environments – www.epa.gov/schools EPA Tools for Schools – www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/ American Lung Association – www.lungusa.org/ Healthy Schools Network – www.healthyschools.org/ OSHA – www.osha.gov/SLTC/indoorairquality/ CDC – www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/indoorenv/ Graylynn: Provided is a list of additional resources. I want to highlight the EPA Healthy School Environments site. This site was especially created to promote healthy school environments. EPA has resources in a number of programs that are designed to help schools and communities take action to protect children's health in one of the most important places - where children learn and live. Assessment nau.edu/iaqtc http://www.epa.gov/schools/healthyseat/index.html