ASTHMA Asthma afflicts about 20 million Americans, including
6.3 million children. Since 1980, the biggest growth in asthma
cases has been in children under five. In 2000 there were nearly
2 million emergency room visits and nearly half a million hospitalizations
due to asthma, at a cost of almost $2 billion, and causing 14 million
school days missed each year.
IAQ TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS Twenty percent of the U.S. population,
nearly 55 million people, spend their days in our elementary and secondary
schools. In the mid-1990s, studies show that 1 in 5 of our nation's 110,000
schools reported unsatisfactory indoor air quality, and 1 in 4 schools
reported ventilation -- which impacts indoor air quality -- as unsatisfactory.
Students are at greater risk because of the hours spent in school facilities
and because children are especially susceptible to pollutants. |
MOLDS Molds are part of the natural environment. Molds reproduce
by means of tiny spores; the spores are invisible to the naked eye and
float through outdoor and indoor air. Mold may begin growing indoors when
mold spores land on surfaces that are wet. There are many types of mold,
and none of them will grow without water or moisture.
RADON You can't see radon, you can't smell
it or taste it, but it may be a problem in your home. Radon
is estimated to cause many thousands of deaths each year.
That's because when you breathe air containing radon, you
can get lung cancer. In fact, the Surgeon General has warned
that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in
the United States today. |
Green Building - Do your buildings
create a healthy environment for their occupants? The building
industry is increasingly focused on making its buildings greener,
which includes using healthier, less polluting and more resource-efficient
practices. Indoor
environmental quality (IEQ) refers to the quality of the air
and environment inside buildings, based on pollutant concentrations and
conditions
that can affect the health, comfort and performance of occupants -- including
temperature, relative humidity, light, sound and other factors. Good
IEQ is an essential component of any building, especially a green
building.
The Partnership
for Clean Indoor Air The Partnership
for Clean Indoor Air was launched at the World Summit
on
Sustainable Development in Johannesburg to address
the increased environmental health risk faced by more
than
2 billion people in the developing world who burn traditional
biomass fuels indoors for cooking and heating. According
to the World Health Organization, their increased exposure
results in an estimated 1.6 million premature deaths
each year, largely among women and children. The
mission of the Partnership is to improve health, livelihood,
and quality of life by reducing exposure to air pollution,
primarily among women and children, from household
energy use.
Program Needs for Indoor Environments Research (PNIER)
- PNIER is a strategic document intended to capture
the indoor environments research needs of all EPA offices
with program responsibilities related to indoor environmental
quality, and was developed with strong collaboration across
several EPA offices. The needs are extensive and range
from basic research on sources and emissions (including
biological, chemical and particulate matter), through exposure
characterization, health effects and mitigation techniques. |
