Fumes in school renovations can hurt

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Thursday, August 30, 2001

Fumes in school renovations can hurt

By Saul and Karin Saul Lazarus

How ironic! We implore our children to not abuse drugs, but we send them off

to toxic schools to inhale brain-damaging fumes.

As we approach the new school year, massive renovation projects are under

way in many schools throughout the region. Unfortunately, many of these are

done with kids in the building. What with flying dust, falling debris, and

paints and solvents everywhere, there is no telling what kind of junk your

kid will be breathing.

With the growing knowledge about products used in renovations, and the fact

that kids and contractors may be working alongside one another for months,

even years, there is a genuine concern for the health and safety of our

children.

Many common products used in classrooms, school construction, and school

renovations are harmful to our children's health. They have been linked to

cancer, respiratory disease, and liver and kidney problems. They also can

damage the neurological system and impede the learning process. These

products include paints, varnishes, finishes, solvents, formaldehyde,

adhesives, and even new carpets.

Children are particularly vulnerable to chemical vapors. Just inhaling a

solvent or vapor can play havoc with their emotions, invoke depression,

provoke aggressive behavior, affect their ability to think clearly and

reduce brain power. No small wonder that some kids are unmanageable these

days!

Administrators save money by recirculating dirty air, instead of supplying

fresh air. And what does that do to indoor air? A World Health Organization

committee estimates that up to 30 percent of new and remodeled buildings

have poor indoor-air quality.

During renovations, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air

Conditioning Engineers has recommended that new buildings be ventilated with

100 percent fresh air for the first six months. However, most current air

handlers in schools do not even have this capacity. When renovating a

school, planners do not usually upgrade air quality. Just breathing a stale

mix of dust and molds can aggravate allergies and asthma. Add toxic fumes to

the brew and our kids are in one sorry fix.

There is hope on the horizon. Schools in Waterloo, Ontario, and Crystal

Lake, Ill., have found that eliminating dust and molds, improving indoor-air

quality, using safer products in the classroom, and using safer products in

construction have improved student/teacher health and increased academic

performance for all students.

Radnor Township has joined the growing list of healthy schools - an

initiative that we are proud to have been a part of. Its new " green "

elementary school opens Tuesday. The school was developed with the health

and safety of both students and teachers in mind. The school will use no or

low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints and adhesives, as well as low

formaldehyde materials and furnishings. For air intake, two chimneys with

baffles will suck in air from a height of about 35 feet, avoiding fumes from

nearby King of Prussia Road. It will be equipped with windows that open and

high-efficiency filters of air particles. It will make use of natural

lighting.

Radnor Elementary School will have environmentally responsible heating and

cooling. It will use a geothermal heat exchange, ground-source heating and

cooling, where all of the heating and cooling originates from the ground

instead of the traditional combustion system dependent on fossil fuels. This

means greater fuel efficiency, greater energy savings, while decreasing

pollution at the same time.

Radnor has gone one step further. It will allow the entire school to " gas

off, " or dissipate noxious fumes, before opening this fall. At this writing,

the ventilation system is going full blast to circulate fresh air and dispel

any fumes from the building before students enter.

Pushing for healthy schools is no easy task. When concerned parents make

presentations for safe, healthy schools, planners often say that their

products and practices follow acceptable standards. Let's remind them that

our children need higher standards, not minimal ones.

Schools are great places to introduce safer products. After all, they house

our most precious resource - our children. Newer and safer products are

coming on the market each day. People are catching on. Just look at what's

happening - paints with low VOCs, and cleaning products and antifreezes that

are environmentally friendly, just to name a few.

Healthy schools are indeed cost-effective. There is less down time from

teacher and student illness. And with the cost of energy these days, making

schools " green " and energy-efficient means greater fuel savings in the long

run. Besides, there is no price tag on healthy kids.

All children can benefit from and deserve healthy schools. Let's not just

renovate schools, but keep them toxic-free. Schools should not be renovated

with kids in the building. Renovations such as painting, floor finishing,

roofing and tarring can be done over the summer while school is not in

session. Kids should be relocated for long alterations.

Let us search out planners with a vision for the future and a willingness to

put our children's health first.

Steve Saul and Karin Saul Lazarus live in Radnor Township and campaigned for

the new " green " elementary school there.

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