Reducing Indoor Chemical Exposure
PHOTO © LOOKER_STUDIO
While exposure to outdoor air pollution can make you
sick, exposure to indoor pollution is often worse, as studies
show we spend most of our time indoors. Wayne R. Ott,
Department of Statistics, Stanford University, found that
U.S. “persons … spend only about two percent of their time
outdoors, six percent of their time in transit, and 92 percent
of their time indoors,” concluding: “We are basically an
indoor species.”
In addition, classrooms have dense — no reference to
intelligence — populations. Per C. Kenneth Tanner, writing
for ASBO’s School Business Affairs: “Classroom density
may be a more important planning consideration than
size. The lower middle range for human social distance is
seven feet — not met in most classrooms containing
20 to 25 students.”
Plus, each of the 20 to 26 people in a “dense” classroom
releases a mix of chemicals from deodorants, hairsprays or
gels, fragrances, fabric treatments, etc.
Add to that the materials, furnishings, cleaners and other
substances brought into schools that emit airborne pollutants,
and school facilities can become very unhealthy.
Exposure to Chemical Soup
Per the U.S. EPA, there are more than 80,000 chemical
substances in legal use under the Toxic Substances Control
Act (TSCA). Most of these have not been tested for longterm
health risks; and they are most often found in mixtures
with other chemicals. The complex “soup” of chemicals
in school environments exacerbates sourcing the cause
of illness or malaise, and results in applying to unhealthy
schools the general descriptor of “sick building syndrome.”
The importance of reducing exposure to synthetic
chemicals is reinforced as we’ve learned the “dose makes
the poison” adage does not apply to common legal chemicals
that affect human hormones in parts per billion (ppb),
also known as endocrine disruptors.
Physical, Educational and Fiscal Solutions
Less chemicals = more students and teachers in class,
with better health and focus.
A 1997-2001 study at Charles Young Elementary School
showed that improving the indoor environment through
renovation and healthier cleaning raised attendance from
89 percent to 93 percent along with a “qualitative indication
of reduced asthma.”
The Young study noted “a direct connection between
healthy school environments, behaviors and attitudes of
students, parents and educators; and academic performance
and achievement.”
Also, fewer chemicals means lower cost of buying, shipping,
storing and handling chemicals. For example, Northern
Tioga School District, in Pennsylvania, reduced annual
supply costs by $19,883.25 by not buying aerosols and harsh
products such as bowl cleaners.
A study led by Mark J. Mendell, Ph.D., MPH, Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory, and published in the American
Journal of Public Health, stated: “Improving building
environments may result in ... economic benefits of $5 to
$75 billion annually [and] offers enormous potential health
and economic returns.”
Thus, preventing exposure to chemicals provides a
triple benefit: 1) healthier people, 2) better learning and 3)
healthier budgets.
This article originally appeared in the issue of .