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transcript
National Center for Environmental HealthAgency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
School Environments and Children’s Health
Patrick N. Breysse, PhD, CIHDirector, NCEH/ATSDR
Healthy Schools Network
June 6, 2016
National Center for Environmental Health
Vision – Healthy People in Healthy Environments
Strategic Priorities• Protect children from the health risks of harmful exposures and
conditions
• Reduce asthma morbidity and mortality
• Ensure safe drinking water
Overview
Indoor air quality
The physical environment
Failing infrastructure
School Siting
Conceptual model
Indoor Air Quality
Schools and Health – Indoor Air Quality
People, particularly children, spend between 80 - 90% of their time indoors• Growing recognition that home indoor air quality is an important
health risk
Particulate matter, allergens, oxides of nitrogen, endotoxin, mold
Associated with increased risk for respiratory diseases (e.g., asthma, allergies, and rhinitis) in children and adults
Schools and Health – Indoor Air Quality
Schools represent the second most important indoor environment for children• we know much less about the range of indoor air pollutants, their
concentrations, and impacts
Complex sources• Indoor and outdoor
Schools and Health – Indoor Air Quality and Productivity
Occupational studies of health and productivity associated with building environments reinforces the importance of indoor air quality as a source of impaired health and performance• The potential for the indoor environment to impact productivity is
particularly relevant to schools where concentration and intellectual performance are key to success
Teachers and students
Schools and Health – Indoor Air Quality
Studies have implicated a range of potential contaminants of concern • Particulate matter
• Volatile organic compounds
• Molds, fungi, and dampness
• Carbon monoxide
• mercury
• Allergens - mouse
Schools and Health – Indoor Air Quality
Air Exchange Rates• Ventilation can be assessed by measuring the build up of C02
• Poor ventilation associated with increased error rates
• Increasing ventilation is associated with
better test scores
Reduced
Reduced respiratory symptoms
decreased absences
The Physical Environment
Schools and Health – Physical Environment
Temperature • Classrooms with temperatures outside the human comfort zone (below
67°F and above 74°F
student productivity, efficiency and test scores are significantly lower
Noise• Noisy fans, open windows, can be significant source of distraction
Research has shown that students in noisy buildings fall behind in reading and math
Schools and Health – Physical Environment
Lighting• Ample lighting, especially from natural daylight are associated with
better test scores
• Evidence suggests children’s melatonin cycles are disrupted when they are deprived of natural light
Affects their alertness during school
Failing Infrastructure
Schools and Health - Aging Infrastructure
In 2014, the National Center for Educations Statistics estimated that the average age of the nation’s main school buildings was 55 years old • The average date of construction for our nation’s schools at 1959
American Society of Civil Engineers• School Infrastructure - grade D
Energy D+; drinking water D ; roads D; transit D; waste water D
The Problem’s Problem
We don’t have national data on school facilities
We don’t really have a complete picture of the condition of our nation’s schools.
Schools and Health – Safe Water
Lead and other contaminants associated with failing water infrastructure• Baltimore spends $450,000 a year
supplying bottled water to all but six of its 180 schools
Portland, Newark, Chicago, Tacoma and other cities have been in the news lately
School Siting
Safe Siting
In 2011, EPA releases voluntary school siting guidelines (then updates them in 2013) https://www.epa.gov/schools/school-siting-guidelines
ATSDR is developing and implementing a national initiative to protect children from health risks caused by the location of child care and early learning facilities.
A Story Behind ATSDR’s Safe Siting Initiative
Kiddie KollegeFranklin, NJ
Mercury exposure at childcare facility
Conceptual Model
Environmental Justice Issue
Are the Feds Helping Schools Address IAQ?
NIOSH recommendations for schools
EPA Indoor Air Quality Action Kit
CDC Programs
Examples of Current NCEH/ATSDR Activities
National Asthma Control Program• Strategies for Addressing Asthma within a Coordinated School
Health Program
School-based health care and asthma management
Childhood Lead Prevention Program• Lead in drinking fountains
ATSDR • Day care facility siting criteria
Call To Action!
For more information, contact NCEH/ATSDR1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636)TTY: 1-888-232-6348 www.atsdr.cdc.gov www.cdc.govFollow us on Twitter @CDCEnvironment
The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Questions?