Case Study: Taos Pueblo Indoor Air Quality Evelyn Martinez, Air Quality Programs Manager Taos Pueblo Environmental Office National Tribal Forum Conference on Air Quality San Diego, California April 17-19, 2007

Community Profile Located in Northern New Mexico along the Sangre de Cristo Mountains Designated World Heritage Site (1992) Tribal Enrollment: 2,000 members Elevation: 7,600 ft. 110,000 acres

Indoor Air Quality Radon education and remediation Radon Grant FY 2006 Indoor Air Quality Assessments - Student Internship Program, NAU/ITEP - Mold

Program Implementation Components Conducted community education and outreach - developed materials for adults and youth Identified stakeholders and developed partnerships - attended meetings Support from tribal government - conducted workshops for tribal governor and warchief

Proclamations February 2006: Radon Action Month Governor James Lujan, Sr. March 2007: Radon Action Month Governor Gilbert Suazo, Sr.

What You Should Know About RADON And how you can protect your family Taos Pueblo Environmental

Youth Involvement Classroom education - Radon poster contest, National Safety Council New Mexico Winner: Alyssa Bozzuto, 5 th Grade Taos Pueblo Day School

NAU Student Internship Program Indoor Air Quality Education - Training conducted at NAU - Youth applied acquired skills to identify IAQ problems at local school

What Students Learned Causes of poor indoor air quality -inadequate ventilation, high temperature and humidity -Radon -use of equipment to measure CO, CO 2, humidity, temperature, moisture on paper and wood. -Hazards of toxic chemicals in cleaning solutions -identifying contributors to asthma i.e., dust, pet dander, VOC’s

IAQ Assessments Taos Pueblo Day School Based on Indoor Air Quality Essentials for Schools, students used practical approaches to identifying indoor air quality issues -SIP students conducted a walk through of all classrooms including the exterior -Students noted ventilation points, took room temperatures and took notes of their observations.

Observations moisture on the ceiling of boiler room/basement lack of ventilation system; inadequate circulation -Room temperatures averaged 83.3° F; outside temperature was 73° F -No air conditioning system teachers storing hazardous cleaning materials dust mites were found in computer lab

Results Students attended the school board meeting to present their findings -School board members received a report created from the notes that students took during the walk through - Problem areas were noted by board members and requested that the school’s principal take action as necessary

Radon: Community Education Educate and inform tribal community members Encourage participation in voluntary testing Media Approach KTAO Solar Radio Taos News National Native News Taos Mountain Wind

Radon Levels/Tribal Offices

Community Testing Results

Findings In 2006, 48 homes and buildings were tested and 34 had levels of radon greater than 4.0 pCi/L, the EPA action level. The homes and workplaces at Taos Pueblo have radon levels that far exceed the average levels found in homes across the nation.

Remediation Location Red Willow Learning Center Education center for youth and community Built by community volunteers: sq. ft. -March 2006:16.7 piC/L (average of 2 kits) Short-term radon test (48 hours) -March 2007:10.2 piC/L overall average Professional Radon Monitor one hour time intervals Readings after installation:5.4 piC/L

Contact Information Taos Pueblo Environmental Office PO Box 1846 Taos, New Mexico Phone · (505) Fax · (505)