Healthy School Buildings

Schools across the country experience a wide range of indoor air quality issues. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, indoor levels of pollutants may be two to five times, and occasionally more than 100 times higher than outdoor levels. There is substantial evidence that indoor exposure to chemicals and allergens such as dust mites, volatile organic compounds and molds trigger asthma symptoms.

School-aged children spend a great deal of time inside school buildings and it is critical that schools control indoor air pollutants that trigger and cause or worsen asthma attacks. Chemicals, although sometimes useful, can be dangerous to people and the environment especially if they are not handled or stored properly. Chemicals are found in many locations throughout a school, including labs, custodial closets, art rooms, grounds/maintenance sheds, nurse’s offices, and in the school building materials. It is critical that proper chemical handling, storage, and disposal is followed. A better choice is to look for safer alternative products and procedures.

The purpose of the Healthy School Buildings Assessment (pdf) is to identify current school purchasing and chemical use practices, and to begin thinking about ways to reduce, eliminate, or find alternative products for these substances. Use the results to choose a long lasting environmental change.

This Healthy School Buildings Assessment Guide (pdf) provides helpful hints and background information about many of the Assessment questions.

The Healthy School Buildings Action List (pdf) allows you to choose a number of actions in effort to reduce the use of toxic substances at your school.  Points are earned for each action item.  The goal is to pick actions that address identified use of toxics or indoor air quality issues that you may have identified at your school.

This Healthy School Buildings Educator's Guide (pdf) includes vocabulary terms, discussion questions, and other supporting resources to help teachers integrate these issues into their curriculum.