Hazards, Environmental, in Schools

Contaminated Water

Every state has its own set of agencies that have some control of the drinking water of a school. Knowledge [Page 450]of these agencies and their regulations is important, especially if the school is on well water rather than water provided by the locality. Water may be contaminated with lead, mercury, or organic and inorganic compounds. Periodic testing will identify the safety level of the water. Personnel should be trained to take the water samples without contamination of the sample. States provide a complete set of waterworks regulations to the school organizations. These regulations include procedures, emergency information, enforcement guideline and exemptions or variances, and a complete plan for monitoring. All analyses ought to be performed in accordance with the regulatory guidelines, and the laboratories used for testing must have the necessary certification of the state agency in charge of waterworks management.

Air Quality

Poor air quality ranges from poor ventilation systems to buildings that were not designed for the number of students and employees who are in the classrooms and hallways. Glen I. Earthman and Linda K. Lemasters noted the following caustic causes of poor air in schools: Carpet, pressed wood, cleaning materials, copy machine fumes, restroom air fresheners, adhesives, and many other sources account for indoor air pollutants. There may be ventilation systems that have accumulated dirt and other contaminants over the years. Water-damaged walls and carpets from flooding or a condenser overflow can be a breeding ground for mold and mildew. Another breeding ground for biological contaminants arrives in the building air from cooling towers, air conditioners, humidifiers, and other ventilation equipment.

Often a facility was designed for one purpose but used for another. This may mean that a computer laboratory is installed in what was formerly a room that was expected to have low occupancy. It was not conceivable that 20 students, a teacher, 20 computers, and printers would leave little well-ventilated air in the room. With improved construction methods, buildings in the recent past were built that were airtight, with little air exchange. In addition, synthetic building materials, housekeeping supplies, and the use of pesticides combined with the concern about economy with ventilation systems, the delay of maintenance to save money, and undersized HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning) systems, have created airquality problems.

Ignoring these problems may lead to asthma, Legionnaire's disease, certain types of pneumonia, or psychological stress and discomfort. According to the World Health Organization, as high as 30% of renovated or new facilities generate air quality complaints from the occupants. This is of great concern when one considers that 1 in 5 Americans spend his or her days in elementary and secondary schools. One study of the General Accounting Office reported approximately 50% of our schools have indoor air quality problems.

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