JenniferSpartzAnnotation6EPASchoolSurvey

Annotation 6 Prevalence and Implementation of IAQ Programs in U.S. Schools This article was written by four people: Moglia, Smith, MacIntosh, and Somers. Moglia and Smith work with the US EPA Office of Air/Indoor Environments Division, while MacIntosh and Somers work for Environmental Health and Engineering Inc. Both pairs work in the studies of maintaining a healthy living environment; therefore it can be assumed they know the practices of keeping the air quality healthy. This article talks about indoor air quality (IAQ) within schools across the US. While no similar tests have been conducted across the US, the US Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics has stated that 25% of schools in America need repair or replacement. These people studied the results of a survey that the EPA sent out on what actions were being taken by the schools to promote clean air. The study took place between 1998 and 2002 and the results showed that as time progressed better actions were being taken. The survey was the Indoor Air Quality Practices in Schools Survey and it was distributed among both public and private schools. There were two main objectives of this survey. The first was that a reliable estimate of the fraction of schools that enacted IAQ management practices could be found. The second was that they wanted a large enough sample of schools to show that IAQ practices actually work. Of the original 2,004 schools tested, there was a 50% return rate expected. However, there were only 809 responses which correlate to about 40% for a return rate. From the return data collected compared to the follow-up phone call data of the schools that did not return their surveys, the averages of the results would have ended up about the same if all the eligible schools responded. The data showed that 42% of the schools had an IAQ program. “The survey results indicate that nearly 50% of public schools across the nation have a program to manage IAQ. However, only 20% of private schools appear to have an IAQ program” (Moglia). The second objective was found to be true since 28-33% of schools reported better health in their students due to IAQ measures. In the end, this study concluded that the main reasons that schools do not employ an IAQ plan are the cost, lack of knowledge, and other priorities that take precedence over possible plans. The surveys that were returned were filled out by 350 different job titles. This shows that no matter who filled out the survey, there was a general acceptance of IAQ maintenance. Due to a general confusion of the questions on the survey, a large amount of error was introduced to the survey’s results. “404 schools reported that they do not use an IAQ management program (question 1), yet 20% of those same schools reported that their IAQ management plan had been in use for 5 years” (Moglia). This shows that some refinement of the survey is required for more accurate and reliable results to be present. No matter how you look at it, in the end, no IAQ maintenance program will produce the same results as a proactive plan. One trend that caused this issue to be brought into light was the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention findings on school absences due to asthma. It was discovered that asthma alone causes 14 million missed school days per year. The authors show their bias of their own company by comparing the EPA’s Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Action Kit to all other maintenance plans for schools. The test kit was organized by the government, therefore, there cannot be much if anything wrong with it. This article helps answer the question of what is known about air quality. Kids spend a vast amount of time inside a school, therefore, it makes sense that this indoor air system has the potential to cause health problems. It is often not feasible for schools to have the time and money to learn about the problem and incorporate these measures, even though it was shown that both affluent and poor areas are capable of achieving IAQ management systems. Citation: Moglia D, Smith A, MacIntosh DL, Somers JL, Prevalence and Implementation of IAQ Programs in U.S. Schools. Environmental Health Perspectives, 2006. .