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Are You Concerned about the Environmental Health
of your Neighborhood School?

Among the challenges that schools face, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) may not even be on the "radar screen"? However, it is very important for people, especially children, to breathe clean air. To find out why this is the leading topic of our time, I write my research proposal and analyzed a lot of material to highlight important points. Nonetheless, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified indoor air pollution as one of the top five health hazards in the United States? Air pollution is directly linked to asthma and allergy symptoms, as well as headaches, nausea, and other flu-like symptoms. ?Failure to prevent indoor air problems within schools can strain relationships among the administration, parents and staff and increase liability and compensation claims.

More seriously, indoor air problems can:

Fortunately, simple preventive actions - by everyone from teachers to waste management personnel - can do much to improve the indoor learning environment and provide bottom-line benefits as well.

The American Lung Association of Los Angeles County (ALALAC) is currently managing a school-based Mentor Program on indoor air quality (IAQ). ?The goal of the program is to improve environmental management practices and to mitigate indoor air quality (IAQ) problems within selected Los Angeles County Schools. ?The program utilizes the Environmental Protection Agency Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools (IAQ TFS) Action Kit to provide IAQ assessment and offer low-cost/no-cost solutions to indoor pollution problems. ?The ALALAC partnered with the Southern California section of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (SCAIHA) to recruit and train industrial hygienists (IH) to mentor pilot site locations for a period of one school year. ?The mentors, who are environmental health professionals in the public and private sector, are teaching school staff and teachers about pollution prevention, provide free professional consultation and facilitate implementation of the Tools for Schools Action Kit

As of March 1999, eight sites are implementing the program while an additional three schools have committed. ?Over 200 school personnel have been trained to use the IAQ TFS, while the Mentor Program has reached an additional 400 through community presentations.


For more information about involving your school with the Tools for Schools Program,
contact David Berger at , ext. 232.




(Updated 03/24/99)


When You Can't Breathe, Nothing Else Matters ?
The mission of the American Lung Association of Los Angeles County
is to prevent and eliminate lung disease
and to improve the quality of life and health of those with lung disease.
Your contributions to

Christmas Seals? and Chanukah Seals? help make the difference.


For more information on lung health, programs, and special events,
call ? ? (or ? ; ? ; ?1-800-LUNG-USA), ? or send us email.
? 1999 American Lung Association of Los Angeles County

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