 |
| School children need to be protected from poor indoor air quality. |
Children are more vulnerable to environmental pollutants, and schools are often built in areas where outdoor air pollution may be a factor, or they may suffer from poor building maientenance leading to such problems like mold or a high count of allergens.
Like clockwork, experts see an increased number of asthma attacks and diagnoses when the school year begins, and they often blame poor indoor air quality in the buildings.
Industrial pollution and soil vapor intrusion can become even bigger problems, because the indoor air pollutants in these circumstances are often difficult to pinpoint.
Administration officials and parents should request regular indoor air quality tests conducted by professionals, which can provide the most accurate picture of the IAQ at certain times.
Arlington high school fears vapor intrusion
A high school in Arlington, Massachusetts, for example, is undergoing IAQ tests now after the presence of a harmful dry cleaning chemical in the ground near the school has been discovered.
PCE is a chemical used for dry-cleaning fabrics and metal degreasing operations. It is also known as “Perc” and Tetrachloroethylene.
If spilled onto or into the ground, it has the potential to dissolve in the underlying groundwater and subsequently travel under the ground in the direction of groundwater flow.
It has a propensity to volatilize or “evaporate” out of the groundwater and impact overlying structures through “vapor intrusion.”
Perc is currently being phased out of the dry cleaning industry because it has been linked to cancer.
Cleaner indoor air with activated carbon and HEPA air filters
Electrocorp’s portable, powerful industrial air cleaners use a deep bed of activated carbon and HEPA filtration technology to remove a wide range of indoor air pollutants, including chemicals, gases, odors, particles, dust and more.
Many units can also be equipped with a UV lamp to provide enhanced protection from biological contaminants such as bacteria, viruses and mold spores as well as mold mycotoxins.
Electrocorp’s air cleaners for schools and universities offer a cost-effective and reliable solution for spaces of all sizes. Contact Electrocorp for more information and expert help.
See also:
No comments:
Post a Comment