HOW TO IMPROVE AIR QUALITY AT YOUR CHILDREN’S SCHOOL

A healthy, resting adult takes 12 to 20 breaths per minute.

Children, from school-age to preschoolers and younger, take many more. It’s normal for a toddler to take twice as many breaths as an adult, and an infant may take a full three times more.

Every breath matters, especially for their developing lungs, and approximately 75 million Americans live in communities with unhealthy air. In addition, the EPA reports that half of the 115,000 schools in the United States have problems linked to indoor air quality. So it’s not too surprising that 6.8 million American children have asthma, and the number is climbing.

How can parents and teachers help children breathe easier? Here’s what you need to know about air quality in and around schools and what you can do to improve it.

Indoors

Almost 55 million students and 7 million staff members spend their days in school facilities across the country. If you and your loved ones are among them, you might be inhaling a host of indoor pollutants including building materials (such as asbestos), cleaning products, radon and even mold. In addition to triggering health problems such as headaches and asthma, indoor air quality can affect children’s academic performance and increase absenteeism.

The good news: Administrators, teachers and families have tools to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) in schools. Many are similar to those you may use in your own home.

EPA offers an IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit that provides guidelines, best practices, sample policies and a sample management plan. Areas to focus on include improving HVAC systems, maintaining filters and carbon monoxide detectors, controlling moisture and mold, managing pests and carefully selecting cleaning and building materials.

EPA does not require schools to monitor their air quality, submit information about it or use these voluntary tools, so it’s important for parents to speak up. Share the action kit with your school and talk to decision makers about what they’re doing to improve indoor air quality. Here are additional recommendations for parents, particularly those whose children suffer from asthma.

Some states and school districts have specific policies or regulations to improve indoor air quality. To learn about your area, visit the Environmental Law Institute’s database of state indoor air quality laws or contact your state’s IAQ or IAQ Tools for Schools coordinator.

Outdoors

When students step outside school buildings for fresh air, that air might not be so fresh. Pollutants such as smoke, road dust, car exhaust and factory emissions can all add up to poor quality air. And some days are better than others.

How can you tell the difference? Check your local Air Quality Index. The daily index reports how polluted your air is and what it means for your health. Among other pollutants, the index tests for ground-level ozone (smog) and airborne particles, the two most hazardous types of air pollution.

Children are particularly sensitive to air pollution, so when air quality is rated orange – “unhealthy for sensitive groups” – it might be wise to limit prolonged periods outdoors and avoid heavy exertion, including outdoor sports.

Some school districts adjust recess and outdoor play based on air quality. Ask your children’s school about its air quality policies and share the EPA’s Air Quality Index Toolkit for Teachers. To find your Air Quality Index, search by zip code on AirNow.com, sign up for email alerts on EnviroFlash.info or check local weather reports on television or in the newspaper.

Do you see buses idling outside your children’s school? Diesel exhaust can damage lungs, irritate eyes and throats and trigger asthma or allergies, so check out these tips and tools for reducing bus idling. These resources are designed not just for schools, but for students, parents and community members as well. Talk to your kids about why air quality matters and encourage them to get involved, too.

Author,

Megan Boyle

Baby Birthmarks & Rashes

Many babies also get rashes or have birthmarks. In this article, seven kinds of rashes and birthmarks are discussed.

Mongolian Spots

These birthmarks can vary considerably in size but are all flat areas of skin that contain extra pigment, which causes them to appear brown, gray, or even blue (like a bruise). Most often located on the back or buttocks, Mongolian spots are very common, especially in dark- skinned babies. They usually disappear before school age and are of no medical significance.

Pustular Melanosis

Small blisters that typically appear at birth, they peel open and dry up within a couple of days. They leave dark spots like freckles that usually disappear over several weeks. Some newborns may have only the spots, indicating that they had the rash before birth. While pustular melanosis is common (particularly in babies with darker skin) and is a harmless newborn rash, it is always important to have all blister like rashes evaluated by your baby’s doctor to make sure they aren’t due to an infection.

Milia

These tiny white bumps or yellow spots are found on the cheeks, chin, or across the tip of the nose, and are caused by skin-gland secretion. This common newborn rash generally disappears on its own within the first two to three weeks of life.

Miliaria

Often referred to as a “heat rash” or “prickly heat,” miliaria most often occurs in hot, humid climates or when babies are over-bundled. The rash can contain tiny sweat blisters and/or small red bumps. It shows up most often in skin folds and covered areas, and usually goes away within a few days.

Erythema Toxicum

Often called “E tox” for short, this rash is very common and usually appears within the first few days after birth. It consists of multiple red splotches with yellowish-white bumps in the center, and goes away within a week or so. It generally resolves if it’s left completely alone.

Capillary Hemangiomas

These raised red spots are caused by a strawberry-like collection of blood vessels in the skin. For the first week or so, they may appear white or pale, then turn red later. While they often enlarge during the first year, most shrink and almost disappear by the time a child reaches school age usually without requiring treatment.

Port Wine Stain​

Large, flat, and irregularly shaped dark red or purple areas. Caused by extra blood vessels under the skin, port wine stains are usually located on the face or neck but, unlike hemangiomas, don’t disappear without treatment. These birthmarks can be treated, sometimes with laser surgery by either a plastic surgeon or a pediatric dermatologist. 

If your baby was born vaginally, in addition to the elongated shape of his head, there also may be some scalp swelling in the area that was pushed out first during birth. If you press gently on this area, your finger may even leave a small indentation. This swelling (called caput) is not serious and should disappear in a few days.