By Len Damiano
EBTRON, Inc.

One problem area that is a national concern and under the microscopes of many local communities is our school buildings' indoor environment. The physical environment where our children are expected to stretch their minds should be healthfully supportive and foster productivity in teaching as well as learning. It should never have been allowed to develop into a threat to the health and welfare of our children.

Poor IAQ is a known cause of a number of significant adverse health effects, including: rates of infectious disease transmission - influenza, colds, tuberculosis, etc.; Asthma, which affects more than 5% - 10% of the school population; as well as the symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) and Building related Illnesses (BRI). 

SBS symptoms are a spectrum of nonspecific complaints that occur during building occupancy and are absent or less severe when the individuals are not in the building. These included: Eye, nose, throat irritation; dry mucous membranes; headaches; fatigue; dry or itchy skin; difficulty breathing or chest tightness.

It appears that 20-30% of teachers surveyed report symptom patterns such as headache and fatigue within a few hours after the beginning of the school day which resolve within a few hours after they leave work. Sinus and nasal problems tend to be longer lasting.

School buildings are very prone to a variety of indoor environment problems that may result in illness symptoms among teachers, staff, and students. This is due to the fact that school buildings have very high occupant densities and are in many instances poorly maintained. Three major risk factors for school building- related health complaints have been identified. These include inadequate ventilation, surface dust/inadequate cleaning, and mold. All three of these can be design and maintenance issues.

Children may be especially susceptible to air pollution. The same concentration of pollutants can result in higher body burden in children than adults because children breathe a greater volume of air relative to their body weight. A child's immune system is not as developed as an adult's, making them more susceptible to airborne diseases. Poor ventilation systems tend to contribute to the spread of viruses and bacteria, as evidenced by several government studies. School children are exposed to more toxins and allergens, which become aerosolized in the classroom, including: chalk dust, magic-marker off-gassing, finger paints, juvenile personal hygiene (odors).

With regard to airborne pollutants, the ones with potentially more serious health effects are microbiological contaminants or bioarerosols. These include bacteria, allergens from dust mites and animal dander, plus fungal spores. The data suggests that a significant fraction of schools in the study may not have the ventilation rates needed to remove and

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