Air pollution is air pollution, indoors or out.
Good indoor air quality (IAQ) contributes to a favorable
learning environment for students, protects health, and
supports the productivity of school personnel.
Over the past 40-50 years, indoor air pollution has
increased due to a variety of factors, including the con-
struction of tightly sealed buildings, the reduction of venti-
lation rates to save energy, the use of synthetic building
materials and furnishings, and furnishings, and the use of
chemically formulated personal products, pesticides, and
cleaning supplies.
In schools in poor repair, leaky roofs and crum-
bling walls have caused additional indoor air quality prob-
lems, including contamination with lead and asbestos,
dust, or radon. United States Environmental Protection
Agency studies of human exposure to air pollutants indi-
cate that indoor pollution levels may be 2-5 times, and
sometimes 100 times, higher than outdoor levels. Most
people spend 90% of their time indoors.
It is easy to understand why school decisions to
cut spending on cleaning and repair (“deferred mainte-
nance”) are penny-wise and pound-foolish: resulting air
pollution will harm occupants and multiply the cost to re-
pair buildings later.