The Environmental Protection Agency is handing out $34 million to tackle air quality issues inside schools – including some in the Mountain West.
Air pollution can be two to five times worse indoors compared with outside, and it’s especially concerning for children, said Nancy Daher, a researcher and professor of occupational and environmental health at the University of Utah.
“They're more susceptible to the impacts of air quality, just because their bodies are still developing,” Daher said.
Children tend to breathe in more air than adults in relation to their body weight, according to the EPA.
Daher is leading one of five projects chosen by the federal agency to improve air quality in schools. The $6.5 million effort will continue for five years in up to 30 schools run by districts in Utah, Nevada and by the Northern Arapaho Tribe. The money comes from the Inflation Reduction Act.
The project will study air pollutants in those schools, all located in low-income communities, and will offer solutions. Research shows improved air quality in schools can lead to higher student attendance and academic performance.
There are many potential sources of indoor pollution that could be affecting schools, Daher said, such as radon, particulate matter and volatile organic compounds. Each can require different strategies.
“Is it increasing the supply of outdoor air? Is it increasing recirculation of air within the building, or is it switching to higher efficiency filters?,” Daher said.
To figure out the best solutions, researchers will monitor the indoor and outdoor air; conduct energy efficiency assessments to determine leaky parts of school buildings; and run computer simulations. As a result, researchers will equip schools with data-backed air quality plans.
Daher said the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread wildfire smoke have increased awareness about the dangers of poor indoor air, and school districts she’s connected with are eager to learn more about what they can do to address the air in their buildings.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
