Common Indoor Air Pollutants in Schools and How to Mitigate Them

Indoor air pol­lu­tion in schools is no small mat­ter. Indeed, main­tain­ing indoor air qual­i­ty is a crit­i­cal com­po­nent of a healthy and pro­duc­tive learn­ing envi­ron­ment. Poor air qual­i­ty can lead to a wide range of prob­lems, from increased absen­teeism due to res­pi­ra­to­ry infec­tions and aller­gies to decreased per­for­mance and con­cen­tra­tion. Edu­ca­tion­al facil­i­ty man­agers play a cru­cial role in iden­ti­fy­ing and mit­i­gat­ing com­mon indoor air pol­lu­tants to ensure the safe­ty and well-being of stu­dents and staff. Let’s explore some of the most preva­lent indoor air pol­lu­tants found in schools and pro­vide effec­tive strate­gies for man­ag­ing these issues.

Com­mon Indoor Air Pol­lu­tants in Schools and Strate­gies for Com­bat­ting Them

Iden­ti­fy­ing Com­mon Pol­lu­tants in Busy Buildings

What are the indoor air pol­lu­tants in schools? Let’s start with volatile organ­ic com­pounds, or VOCs. These are among the most com­mon pol­lu­tants in school envi­ron­ments. These com­pounds are found in paints, sol­vents, clean­ers, dis­in­fec­tants, and even some office and teach­ing sup­plies like mark­ers and adhe­sives. VOCs can evap­o­rate into the air at room tem­per­a­ture, lead­ing to poor indoor air qual­i­ty that can irri­tate the eyes, nose, and throat, and in severe cas­es, lead to more sig­nif­i­cant health prob­lems like asth­ma or chron­ic res­pi­ra­to­ry illnesses.

Mold and mildew thrive in moist envi­ron­ments and can be found in schools where ven­ti­la­tion is inad­e­quate or where there have been leaks or flood­ing. Not only do mold spores degrade air qual­i­ty, but they can also trig­ger aller­gic reac­tions and asth­ma attacks among sen­si­tive indi­vid­u­als. It’s cru­cial for facil­i­ty man­agers to con­trol humid­i­ty and mois­ture to pre­vent mold growth and to address any water dam­age prompt­ly to keep the school envi­ron­ment safe and healthy.

Mit­i­ga­tion Strate­gies for Air Pol­lu­tion in Schools

One of the most effec­tive ways to improve indoor air qual­i­ty is by enhanc­ing the ven­ti­la­tion sys­tem. Increas­ing the flow of out­door air into build­ings helps dilute accu­mu­lat­ed indoor pol­lu­tants. Facil­i­ty man­agers should ensure that HVAC sys­tems are cor­rect­ly designed, main­tained, and oper­at­ed to pro­vide ade­quate ven­ti­la­tion. Reg­u­lar inspec­tions and main­te­nance of these sys­tems are vital to ensure they are not them­selves sources of indoor air pollution.

Reg­u­lar and thor­ough clean­ing is essen­tial to con­trol and reduce indoor air pol­lu­tants. This includes fre­quent vac­u­um­ing with HEPA-fil­tered machines, using microfiber cloths for dust­ing to trap par­ti­cles rather than dis­perse them, and prompt atten­tion to spills and leaks to pre­vent the growth of mold. Addi­tion­al­ly, choos­ing clean­ing prod­ucts that have low VOC emis­sions can sig­nif­i­cant­ly improve indoor air qual­i­ty. Facil­i­ty man­agers should over­see these activ­i­ties to ensure they are car­ried out con­sis­tent­ly and effectively.

For areas where ven­ti­la­tion improve­ments may not be suf­fi­cient, using air puri­fiers can help reduce the con­cen­tra­tion of air­borne pol­lu­tants. Air puri­fiers with HEPA fil­ters are par­tic­u­lar­ly effec­tive at cap­tur­ing fine par­tic­u­lates, includ­ing pollen, dust mites, and mold spores. Addi­tion­al­ly, upgrad­ing the HVAC sys­tem’s fil­ters to high­er effi­cien­cy rat­ings can trap fin­er par­ti­cles, thus improv­ing the over­all air qual­i­ty in the school.

Edu­cat­ing and Engag­ing the School Community

One final note about air qual­i­ty in schools: edu­cat­ing the school com­mu­ni­ty about the sources and dan­gers of indoor air pol­lu­tion can lead to more proac­tive behav­iors that con­tribute to bet­ter air qual­i­ty. Facil­i­ty man­agers can orga­nize work­shops for staff and old­er stu­dents to explain the impor­tance of main­tain­ing a clean envi­ron­ment, report­ing leaks or mois­ture prob­lems, and using prod­ucts that do not emit harm­ful chem­i­cals. Engag­ing stu­dents and staff in main­tain­ing their class­rooms can also empow­er them to be part of the solu­tion. It’s a win-win for all par­ties involved.

Upgrade Your School’s Indoor Air Qual­i­ty With The Budd Group

It’s evi­dent that ensur­ing clean indoor air qual­i­ty in schools is cru­cial for health and aca­d­e­m­ic per­for­mance. By under­stand­ing the com­mon sources of indoor pol­lu­tants and imple­ment­ing effec­tive strate­gies to mit­i­gate them, facil­i­ty man­agers can sig­nif­i­cant­ly enhance the learn­ing envi­ron­ment. These efforts not only con­tribute to the imme­di­ate well-being of stu­dents and staff but also to the long-term rep­u­ta­tion and suc­cess of the edu­ca­tion­al institution. 

When it comes to pro­tect­ing your stu­dents, staff, alum­ni, and par­ents with com­pre­hen­sive indoor air qual­i­ty solu­tions, look no fur­ther than The Budd Group. Our staff of experts will ana­lyze your school’s indoor air qual­i­ty and rec­om­mend the prop­er air purifi­ca­tion sys­tem that meets EPA clean air stan­dards. Regard­less of size, we can assist your facil­i­ty, ensur­ing that every breath in your school con­tributes to health and learning. 

From our team of sub­ject mat­ter experts to our wide array of facil­i­ty main­te­nance ser­vices and our Make It Right guar­an­tee, you’ll love what The Budd Group has to offer. If you’d like to start the process or sim­ply have more ques­tions, con­tact us today.