American Lung Association of Maine gets IAQ grants

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http://www.centralmaine.com/news/stories/020925epa_b7_k.shtml

Wednesday, September 25, 2002

Lung Association funds to fight bad air quality

By TESS NACELEWICZ, Blethen Maine Newspapers

Copyright © 2002 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

PORTLAND - The American Lung Association of Maine received $45,000 in new

federal grants on Monday to aid the state's schools in battling problems

with indoor air quality.

The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Christie Whitman,

visited Portland's Riverton Elementary School to present the grants.

Whitman noted that the nation's 50 million schoolchildren spend much of

their day in school buildings and that " fully half of those children have

health problems related to indoor air quality. " Among the health problems

are asthma which the Lung Association says afflicts 20,000 schoolchildren in

Maine and is one of the leading causes of missed school days.

The money, Whitman said, is to help make schools " cleaner, healthier and

safer for children. "

She said that $15,000 of the money will go to help expand Maine schools'

participation in the EPA's existing Tools for Schools indoor air quality

program.

The other $30,000 will go towards the new Environmental Management Systems

program - a broader approach designed to not only improve air quality but

address a range of other environmental issues in schools, such as the safe

use of pesticides on school grounds and cleaning chemicals in the classrooms

and hallways. The Lung Association later this month plans to hold a kick-off

to announce the piloting of that new systematic method in Maine schools.

Tools for Schools is a voluntary program through which schools learn how to

evaluate indoor air quality programs and determine specific actions to

improve them.

The EPA has provided more than $1 million to New England states to implement

that program. In Maine, more than 30 schools have participated in the

program, which the Lung Association in Maine implements through its Safe and

Healthy Schools project.

Among participating schools were Portland's Jack Elementary School and the

Riverton School. With the aid of the Lung Association, both schools formed

teams of school staff and administrators to evaluate school air quality. As

a result, toxic mold was found at Jack and that school closed in August

2001. Its nearly 300 students have been sent to other schools this year, but

Portland has been promised some state aid to help build a new Jack School

within about four years.

Norm , of the American Lung Association of Maine, called Portland

" very proactive and very courageous " in addressing school air quality

issues. Some school districts don't participate because they don't want to

deal with the consequences if it turns out their schools have problems, he

said.

Riverton School is in the middle of a multi-year project, which could cost

as much as $2.5 million, to improve the school's ventilation and heating

system and remove humidity caused by the community swimming pool there.

Riverton, Portland's newest elementary school, was built in 1976 when saving

heating costs was an issue, so its few windows don't open and ventilation

was poor.

Among those accompanying Whitman in her visit to the school on Monday was

Gov. Angus King, who gave her a jar of Maine zucchini relish. U.S. Sen.

also made remarks about the problems of childhood asthma and

the importance of indoor air quality.