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Clean Up Indoor Air Quality in Schools

California schools are filled with an array of airborne environmental pollutants that impede children's ability to learn in a healthy environment and perform at their peak. An increasing concern to teachers, parents, and students alike, these pollutants can lead to absences from school and chronic health problems. Assembly Bill 2863 (Pavley) seeks to improve the indoor air quality in new and existing schools.

Guidelines to protect the health of students and faculty from indoor air pollution already exist under the EPA Tools For Schools Program and the Collaborative For High Performance Schools. These programs emphasize the use of low cost preventive measures. Past results from the EPA partnerships with California schools show notable improvements in indoor air quality at no cost to the school district when school staffs receive minimal instruction. For example, the Tools For Schools checklists and self-educational materials teach staff how to change their daily activities to lessen their impact on the quality of the air, such as selecting less toxic art materials or not allowing buses to idle near outdoor air intakes. AB 2863 mandates that schools incorporate the best practices within these programs as well as recommendations from a recent report by the California Air Resources Board and the Department of Health Services.

Though California OSHA requires that schools follow many of the same regulations as workplaces, compliance with these regulations goes untracked. Inadequate enforcement of air quality regulations in California schools leads to problems with ventilation, temperature and humidity, air pollutants, floor dust contaminants, moisture and mold, noise and lighting, which can result in

• Asthma episodes triggered by particulate matter, chemical contaminants, and allergens, such as dust mites and mold.
• Increased school absences, which then result in lost school funding based on student attendance levels.

AB 2863 would require schools to perform self-assessments to identify indoor air quality problems, as well as devise an Indoor Air Quality Management Plan (IAQMP) based on the Tools For Schools Program. School boards would then be mandated to publicly review and approve IAQMPs on a regular basis.

Knowledge and concern about the poor quality of air in schools is not new; many health organizations, including the American Lung Association, have expressed concern for years. With the tools for improvement available, and many helpful programs free of charge, California needs to take the next step and require schools to follow clear guidelines to clean up air in schools. Moreover, incorporating safer practices is the logical step for schools during a tight budget period, since early prevention equates to solving problems before they turn into costly maintenance issues and absences.

What You Can Do

Please write or phone your Assembly Member urging him or her to support AB 2863, both in committee and when it reaches the floor.

Your Assembly Member
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814

Not sure who your Assemblymember is? Find out at http://www.assembly.ca.gov/ or Project Vote Smart.