Question

Discuss some of the issues facing schools in terms of exposure to toxic materials through school siting. How is this tied to environmental justice? What are indoor toxins that should be controlled in schools?

Answer 1

• Proximity to industrial facilities includes potential exposures to hazardous chemicals accidental air releases.
• The physical school environment encompasses the school building and all its contents
  including physical structures, infrastructure, furniture, and the use and presence of
  chemicals and biological agents; the site on which a school is located; and the
  surrounding environment including the air, water, and materials with which children may
  come into contact, as well as nearby land uses, roadways and other hazards.
• The phyical environment of school both indoor and outdoor can have health effects on children and even other staff working in schools. Schools located near chemical factories for instance,could lead to breathing problems in children sitting in their classrooms.
• If the area around school is not kept clean,then also children could suffer many diseases.The environment is one of the primary determinants of children’s health:
  contaminated water supplies as an indoor facility provided by schools can result in diarrhoeal disease; air pollution can worsen acute respiratory infections and trigger asthma attacks; and exposure to lead and pesticides can cause a variety of health effects and even death.
• Also apart from indoors children also spend their time outdoor in the school playground as well. Their exposure to air pollutants coming from unclean environment and smoky industrial areas could have adverse biological and physiological effect on their health.
• Chidlren's behavioural patterns like  placing fingers and other objects in the mouth and not washing hands before eating. Children lack the experience to judge risks associated with their behaviours.
• Indoor toxins could also lead to children experiencing eye irritation,cough,headache,allergic reactions etc. and because of these problems it could lead to low attendence of children,Reduce teacher and staff performance,Increase potential for school closings or relocation of occupants,Create negative publicity about the school etc.
  
• Children tend breathe more air, eat more food and drink more liquid in proportion to their body weight than adults. Therefore, air quality in schools is of particular concern. Proper maintenance of indoor air is more than a "quality" issue; it encompasses safety and stewardship of your investment in students, staff and facilities.
• The indoor toxins can be controlled using good quality material for furniture,which is dust-absorbent,cost effective and durable.From an indoor air quality perspective, the school administartion should generally seek to select materials that:require the use of the least toxic, , water-based adhesives and coatings constituents;emit little or no odor;are easy to clean and maintain; andare not susceptible to moisture damage that can foster mold growth.
• Better exhaust facilities,air conditioning and air purifiers should be used by schools in the entire building to provide clean air to children and staff. Clean drinking water is another important issue that needs to looked after by cleaning the water purifiers and filters regularly,cleaning any salt or other toxins is required.
• Proper ventilation system to remove any odours coming from outside or even inside the school buildings of paint,pesticides etc, should be looked after.
• Schools should install automatic drain trap primers, available from several major manufacturers, in all floor drains to ensure that a small amount of water is periodically delivered to the trap, preventing the trap from drying out.
• Controllling indoor and outdoor toxincs is related with environmental justice as health effects of air pollutants need to be better understood and controlled.Environmental justice calls for universal protection from extraction, production and disposal of toxic/hazardous wastes and poisons that threaten the fundamental right to clean air, land, water and food. Therefore it is important for schools,work places,homes to take charge of controlling the toxins both indoors and outdoors so that we could all live in a healthy environment.