Indoor Air Quality: Part II
Indoor Air Quality: Part II
Newton, MA. A recent report indicated air quality samples taken from several rooms in the town's North High School had elevated CO2 levels of 2,000 parts per million (ppm) (Viser, 2004). State standards set 800 ppm as the optimum reading. Although not an immediate health issue, high CO2 levels are indicative of poor air circulationclean air comes in but stale air is not vented out. Safety issues arise in the school setting when chemicals or toxic substances are in use and cannot be vented, therefore posing the health risk (Viser, 2004). Poor Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in schools can result in decreased academic performance and days lost due to illness in the school age population (Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], 2003). As the school nurse at North High School, what would you do?
Indoor airthe air that we breathe in the built environment has become an acknowledged health concern for the past 30 years. Multiple factors have an impact on this air. Age of the building, building materials, ventilation, activities conducted, humidity, and outdoor air are some examples. Children spend almost 90% of their time inside, therefore making the air they breathe a significant source of potential and actual exposure to pollutants. Children are more vulnerable because of the uniqueness of growth and development from infancy through adolescence. Young children spend much of their time close to the floor gaining exposure to pollutants such as heavy metals, pesticides, dander, or dust. They have increased respiratory rates, thereby inhaling more toxicants. The EPA and its Science Advisory Board have ranked indoor air pollution as one of the top five risks to public health (Wigle, 2003). Multiple scientific and government groups have identified a vast number of indoor air pollutants, which Wigle (2003) groups into three broad categories: (a) gases and vapors, (b) particulate matterlarge and small, and (c) dust.
This article, the second in a two part series on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), explores the effects of poor IAQ. [For "Indoor Air Quality: Part IWhat It Is," see Pediatric Nursing, 30 (5), September/October, 2004.] As an overview of a very large topic, readers are cautioned not to assume all areas have been addressed. Some of the more common associated terms are defined (see IAQ Terms box), related illnesses identified, and intervention and prevention measures reviewed. History taking tips and resources for continued learning are provided.
Newton, MA. A recent report indicated air quality samples taken from several rooms in the town's North High School had elevated CO2 levels of 2,000 parts per million (ppm) (Viser, 2004). State standards set 800 ppm as the optimum reading. Although not an immediate health issue, high CO2 levels are indicative of poor air circulationclean air comes in but stale air is not vented out. Safety issues arise in the school setting when chemicals or toxic substances are in use and cannot be vented, therefore posing the health risk (Viser, 2004). Poor Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in schools can result in decreased academic performance and days lost due to illness in the school age population (Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], 2003). As the school nurse at North High School, what would you do?
Indoor airthe air that we breathe in the built environment has become an acknowledged health concern for the past 30 years. Multiple factors have an impact on this air. Age of the building, building materials, ventilation, activities conducted, humidity, and outdoor air are some examples. Children spend almost 90% of their time inside, therefore making the air they breathe a significant source of potential and actual exposure to pollutants. Children are more vulnerable because of the uniqueness of growth and development from infancy through adolescence. Young children spend much of their time close to the floor gaining exposure to pollutants such as heavy metals, pesticides, dander, or dust. They have increased respiratory rates, thereby inhaling more toxicants. The EPA and its Science Advisory Board have ranked indoor air pollution as one of the top five risks to public health (Wigle, 2003). Multiple scientific and government groups have identified a vast number of indoor air pollutants, which Wigle (2003) groups into three broad categories: (a) gases and vapors, (b) particulate matterlarge and small, and (c) dust.
This article, the second in a two part series on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), explores the effects of poor IAQ. [For "Indoor Air Quality: Part IWhat It Is," see Pediatric Nursing, 30 (5), September/October, 2004.] As an overview of a very large topic, readers are cautioned not to assume all areas have been addressed. Some of the more common associated terms are defined (see IAQ Terms box), related illnesses identified, and intervention and prevention measures reviewed. History taking tips and resources for continued learning are provided.
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