School Advisory from California Classrooms Study - Summary

• First, assess your school's indoor environmental conditions. There are some easy-to-use checklists available free of charge that can help you conduct your own assessment.
  • U.S. EPA's Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) "Tools for Schools" (TFS) Action Kit - http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/.

  • Los Angeles Unified School District's "Safe School Inspection Guidebook" - http://www.lausd-oehs.org/docs/SafetyInspections/InspectionGuidebook.pdf. After LAUSD's first round of self-inspections, LAUSD officials determined that many basic health and safety problems could be remedied by custodians or other school personnel, generally at little or no additional cost.

• Be sure your school complies with current state workplace regulations, especially those related to mechanical ventilation (http://www.dir.ca.gov/title8/5142.html) and sanitation and moisture intrusion (http://www.dir.ca.gov/title8/3362.html (see especially item "g" on mold). For assistance with interpreting and meeting workplace regulations, contact Cal/OSHA's consultation service at http://www.dir.ca.gov/DOSH/consultation.html, or call 1-800-963-9424.

• Prepare a plan for addressing problems found in your self-assessment, using the U.S. EPA's Tools for Schools (TFS) process or other similar approaches to develop the plan. Set a schedule for tackling the most critical problems, and put someone in charge to see that it happens.

• Operations and Maintenance
  • Provide sufficient ventilation to the classroom, per Cal/OSHA regulations at http://www.dir.ca.gov/title8/5142.html, and the State Energy Code Title 24 regulations at http://www.energy.ca.gov/title24/index.html (see 2001 and 1998 standards, depending on the age of the classroom, and 2005 standards for new classrooms). Assure that ventilation systems are not too noisy (under 45 decibels): ask for help from the manufacturer if needed.

  • Provide or obtain training for district and school facility managers (on routine maintenance), custodial staff (on proper vacuuming and cleaning procedures: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/) and teachers (on avoiding pollutant sources in the classroom). Start by using U.S. EPA's Tools for Schools kit.

  • Reduce the use of pesticides and noxious cleaning products. Implement an Integrated Pest Management Program http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/cfdocs/apps/schoolipm/main.cfm.

  • Reduce classroom formaldehyde levels: see the ARB-DHS advisory "Remedies for Reducing Formaldehyde in Schools, http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/indoor/pcs/formald_remedies.pdf.

• Purchasing
  • Order materials and products that emit little or no formaldehyde and other potentially harmful chemicals. Specify products that meet California's Section 01350 emissions requirements at http://www.chps.net/dev/Drupal/node/381.

  • Do not allow the use of room deodorizers (especially plug-ins), candles, hair spray, or other unnecessary products in classrooms that can emit harmful chemicals.

  • Arrange to air out new furnishings, especially carpet, prior to installation.

• Design and Construction
  • When planning and constructing new schools or renovating classrooms, see the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) "Best Practices Manual" sections on school siting, materials selection, and ventilation (http://www.chps.net). Establish a policy that all new construction and modernization projects will be CHPS certified.

  • Specify no- or low-formaldehyde building materials and furnishings. Specify materials and products that meet the Section 01350 emissions requirements for gaseous chemicals, at the links shown above under "Purchasing."

  • Specify low-noise, energy-efficient ventilation systems and lighting systems (under 45 decibels combined). Teachers cannot teach with noisy mechanical systems in their rooms: the added incremental cost of low noise systems is well worth the investment.

• For more information on the problems identified in the California Portable Classrooms Study and recommendations to remedy them, visit the study web site at: http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/indoor/pcs/pcs.htm.

• For a listing of private sector indoor air quality consultants, visit http://www.dhs.ca.gov/iaq, and click on IAQ Consultants Listing.

For a printable version of this document as an ARB Fact Sheet, click here.

For more information, please contact the ARB's Public Information Office at (916) 322-2990.