EPA Awards $2.4 Million to Improve Indoor Air ....

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* EPA Awards $2.4 Million to Improve Indoor Air ....

EPA Awards $2.4 Million to Improve Indoor Air Quality

Release date: 10/20/2010

Contact Information: Kika, kika.stacy@..., 202-564-0906,

202-564-4355

WASHINGTON –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding 17

cooperative agreements to nonprofit organizations and a university, totaling

approximately $2.4 million to improve indoor air quality nationwide.

Americans spend about 90 percent of their time indoors where levels of air

pollution may be two to five times higher than outdoor levels. Indoor air

pollutants, such as dust mites, can trigger asthma attacks and radon can cause

lung cancer.

“EPA is proud to be working with our partners nationwide to improve the air

we breathe at school, work and home,†said McCarthy, assistant

administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “American communities

face

serious health and environmental challenges from air pollution. This effort

gives us an opportunity to improve indoor air quality by increasing

awareness of environmental health risks.â€

The goal of these projects is to educate Americans on how to reduce the

environmental health risks of indoor contaminants through demonstrations,

education projects, trainings and outreach efforts. EPA is placing particular

emphasis on reaching households with children, low income families, and

minorities because they are disproportionately impacted by poor indoor air

quality.

The cooperative agreements will:

· Promote positive indoor air quality management practices in schools

nationwide, including holistic approaches to environmental issues.

· Create awareness to reduce asthma triggers in the home and encourage the

use of an asthma management plan.

· Increase the number of homes tested for radon and built with

radon-resistant features, and increase mitigation of radon in existing homes.

· Increase effective indoor air quality practices in office buildings.

· Motivate Americans to improve their home’s indoor air quality.

More information about indoor air cooperative agreements:

_http://www.epa.gov/iaq/cooperative_partners.html_

(http://www.epa.gov/iaq/cooperative_partners.html)