Indoor Air Quality The quality of the air in our homes and school may be worse than the air outside!

Sources of Indoor Air Pollution VOC levels are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. Examples include: paints and lacquers paint strippers cleaning supplies pesticides building materials and furnishings Photocopiers and printers correction fluids carbonless copy paper Glues and adhesives permanent markers

Sources of Indoor Air Pollution Furnaces and poorly ventilated space heaters contribute carbon monoxide Pressed wood (shelving) may contribute formaldehyde especially when new. Mold – spores will always be present in air. Only become a problem where moisture allows mold to grow

Radon Radon is a radioactive gas. It comes from the natural decay of uranium that is found in nearly all soils. It moves up through the ground to the air above and into your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation. Your home traps radon inside, where it can build up. Any home may have a radon problem. Radon in indoor air is estimated to cause about 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States. EPA recommends all homes be tested for Radon

Asbestos Sources include deteriorating, damaged, or disturbed insulation, fireproofing and floor tiles The most dangerous asbestos fibers are too small to be visible. After they are inhaled, they can remain and accumulate in the lungs. Asbestos can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma (a cancer of the chest and abdominal linings), and asbestosis (irreversible lung scarring that can be fatal). Symptoms of these diseases do not show up until many years after exposure began.

Air Quality at School Twenty percent of the U.S. population spend their days in our elementary and secondary schools. In the mid-1990s 1 in 5 of our nation's schools reported unsatisfactory indoor air quality 1 in 4 schools reported ventilation as unsatisfactory. Students are at greater risk because of the hours spent in school facilities and because children are especially susceptible to pollutants.

How is the Air Quality in your Home? 40t0http:// 40t0