Executive Summary:
Asthma is a leading cause of chronic illnesses among children in the United States. Poor Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is highly correlated to high rate of asthma and other respiratory diseases and discomfort. This is particularly true in schools, hospitals or residential environmental settings where students, teachers, staff, elderly and the infirm sick spend more than 95% of their time indoors. People with allergies are also particularly vulnerable. Children, from the time of birth through age 17, have twice the odds of suffering from asthma-related illnesses than adults.
Demographically, asthma and other respiratory diseases are common among the poor, non-urban or inner-city youths who Jive in poorly ventilated homes or schools. Besides asthma, other acute illnesses from poor IAQ may include eye irritation, sinusitis, bronchitis, and pneumonia. Poor IAQ is often attributed to consumer products frequently used indoors and in the immediate vicinity of buildings. These products include floor, window and other cleaning products.
In the state of Louisiana, Tangipahoa Parish is reported to have high asthma rates and other respiratory complications as the leading diseases among children as old as 17 years of age.
Another significant factor that increases asthma is tobacco smoking, which affects both indoor and outdoor air quality. Bus transportation, heating and cooling are also highly correlated to poor IAQ and hence, high prevalence of asthma.
While some impacts of poor IAQ quality are localized, other problems are regional and global. Some products used indoors or outdoors can have global warming potential and ozone depleting potential contributing to global warming or ozone depletion, respectively.
A substantial amount of literature about asthma and other respiratory diseases exists in relation to various environmental triggers. Most of the triggers are highly associated with poor IAQ. Poor, marginalized, and particularly rural areas such as Tangipahoa Parish have not had the opportunity to fully utilize the simple, yet effective available methods of improving and managing IAQ. Such methods include the EPA's Tools for School Kit (TfS), other holistic approaches, i.e. toxics use reduction (TUR), and integrated pest management or chemical cleanout campaign options.
This project targets and works with Tangipahoa Parish schools and homes to develop management plans to improve and sustain high IAQ. Tangipahoa Parish, which is located about 40 miles North of New Orleans and about 60 miles East of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is one of the poorest rural, semi-rural areas in the United States. Literacy rate is perhaps the lowest in the country, income per capita is only $12,000 per annum. This project targets a minimum of 50 schools: 39 public, 10 private schools, and 1 preparatory school. In addition, a total of 30 homes with parents and guardians in various towns, and schools and interested stakeholders that have business ties with the schools, participate in the program via parent surveys - sent out via schools.
All participants are being educated and trained on the relationship between poor IAQ, asthma and other respiratory diseases and how vulnerable children can be in relation to adults when IAQ is poor. The education and training being provided seek to impart knowledge to participants to develop sustainable IAQ management plans, including a checklist of activities such as identification and evaluation of potential sources of poor IAQ and outdoor air quality. Participants are able to learn to include various methods to control and prevent the deterioration of IAQ and outdoor air quality in their management plans; and develop indicators of assessing progress of the IAQ plans.
For long-term sustainability of this project, several approaches are being used. One approach has been to identify leading IAQ teams and coordinators for each participating school and community leaders who will direct the efforts of home assessment and IAQ improvement plans inspections and evaluations. These individuals are being trained and at least four pilot projects are current and being conducted together with the Principal Investigator (PI) of this program to successful completion. IAQ coordinators report back regularly to mini-seminars or workshops which are being organized by this program to share and report progress at such meetings.
The current IAQ program provides feedback to participants and the U.S.EPA on the performance and progress through periodic reports. This program also tracks success stories from each of the participating school and homes and share the case stories with the rest of the community in Tangipahoa Parish through newsletters and fliers. IAQ coordinators meetings are also another way of sharing the stories.
The City of Hammond, the Board of Tangipahoa Parish together with school principals and the superintendent of the local public schools and private schools in this district are in full support of the program.
All activities of the IAQ program are being coordinated by the PI: Dr. Ephraim Massawe, Assistant Professor at Southeastern Louisiana University's Occupational Safety, Health and Environment (OSHE) program.
Milestones:
• The IAQ improvement program targets 39 schools (private and public schools) in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. The main IAQ coordinators have been identified. Data collection and interpretation is an ongoing exercise.
• Improvement plans are being developed and evaluated.
• School nurses are documenting absenteeism in relation to asthma cases.
• IAQ measurements are being conducted.
• Evaluations of the current chemical products and janitorial products being used at schools are being assessed for possible recommendation of alternatives.
• Walkthrough audits around classrooms, laboratories and kitchen facilities completed.
• Parent surveys in the county has been completed.