Blog #12: Air Quality in Schools

Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) school nurses collaborate with the Alameda County Public Health Department for things like infectious disease and vaccines, but I was not able to find much about school nurses in Oakland regarding environmental health within the schools. They do have some information on the OUSD website about exposure to lead in children and education for parents, but not much else regarding environmental hazards within schools.

There are many contributors to indoor air quality, so there are a few different areas that would need to be inspected in schools to determine air quality. Carbon monoxide detectors should be in place and functioning at all times to ensure that all areas in the school contain safe levels. Places like the school kitchen and auto shop should be inspected regularly to ensure proper ventilation from cooking stoves and other appliances. Indoor air quality tests may be performed periodically to ensure safe levels of carbon monoxide and other indoor air pollutants. Another common finding in a variety of indoor areas is mold. Periodic inspections to ensure proper ventilation and minimal moisture in areas where moisture may collect are important to prevent mold growth. Regular inspections may also help find mold colonies early so that they may be eradicated. Ensuring that floors and all other surfaces are regularly cleaned to reduce dust and other allergens in the air is also crucial. Carpets should be kept out of schools as they collect allergens and are more difficult to keep clean. Assessment of these contributors can be a good indicator of overall indoor air quality.

From a community health standpoint, nurses have a responsibility to ensure that children learn in healthy environments without exposure to dangerous toxins, allergens, and other pollutants. Nurses may contact their local school districts to get an idea of what is already being done to optimize indoor air quality in their local schools. We may also contact local school nurses to get an idea of what types of protocols are already in place regarding nurses’ involvement in environmental health within the schools. Attending school board meetings would be an excellent opportunity for nurses to bring some of our concerns to the attention of the board. Nurses also have a responsibility to involve parents and inform them about the dangers that may exist within schools. Knowledge is power, and we would be more successful with parents on our side.

Since I will be doing my paper and final presentation about respiratory effects of mold, I wanted to see what was in the news recently about this issue. I found quite a few articles about the mold problem at the University of Maryland; one recent article is listed below. For years, the university has been dealing with massive mold outbreaks that have caused illness, allergy exacerbations, respiratory complications, and other negative health effects for students and staff. These outbreaks have led to students and faculty missing class as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars in attempted eradication. Staff have had to throw away valuable belongings due to destruction by mold. Considering air quality in schools, it affects all levels, up to college. It is also important to remember that it also affects teachers and staff.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/allergies-rashes-and-sinus-headaches-u-md-professors-have-been-dealing-with-mold-for-years/2019/10/06/e06108a4-e612-11e9-b403-f738899982d2_story.html