Back to School Air

Source: “Fresh Air is in Short Supply at Many Schools” http://www.generationgreen.org/school%20air%20quality%20overview.htm At this time of year, when children are going back to school – not that any parent needs more to worry about – one thing that can easily be forgotten is the air quality in those schools children are going back to.

School Air Quality – Indoors?

Children, spend a majority of their time at school – sometimes up to 8 hours a day. If they are spending that time in allergen filled air, being circulated by outdated air conditioning systems right into their lungs. With asthma a growing concern, as more and more children are being diagnosed with it each year. And yes, indoor air can be as damaging as outside air, depending on what children are exposed to.

So… WHAT CAN WE DO?

The schools (if made aware) CAN make changes in their systems and there are governmental resources to help them. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) even offers a toolkit and incentives to help schools through the process. http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/. If your child has asthma, make sure to find out what your child’s school is doing about their indoor quality and when the last time it was tested. If you don’t ask – you’ll never know.

How can you be sure that your air at home is safe?

Many air conditioning manufacturers are now providing special air filters or added air protection that can be added to a unit. Companies are even offering stand alone humidifiers or purifiers that will circulate through the central ducting. If your home is more susceptible to dust or allergens or someone living there has special needs, these filters might be a good option to consider.

Find out more

http://www.residential.carrier.com/products/airquality/index.shtml Carrier, one of the leading innovators in the heating and air conditioning field offers ventilators, humidifiers, ultra violet lamps and various types of filters. http://www.bryant.com/learnmore/guides/homehealth.shtml Bryant offers ventilators, humidifiers, filters and electronically cleans the air. They advertise a removal of pests up to 99.9%