Indoor Air Quality
An environmental assessment in the home or school is an extremely valuable tool kit to use to determine the cause of acute illnesses. I never knew there was an environmental health nurse that could assess one's home or school to find risks of indoor pollutants such as, mold, radon or CO2. So to answer the question, if schools in my area have an environmental health team, I'm not sure. In fact, I am not sure if any of our school nurses know about Environmental Risk Reduction through Nursing Intervention and Education (ERRNIE).
It is best to use the city's health department to conduct an ERRNIE assessment to see if our kids in schools are actually being exposed to these pollutants. Like the 'YouTube' videos show that one would have to physically look at the rooms for ventilation, leaks and cracks to assess the school's indoor air quality. I think it's a good measure to to be done on a yearly basis in order to keep or kids healthy. From a community health standpoint, implement a policy or make the parents aware through the ERRNIE to be activists in this health concern.
Hi Michelle,
ReplyDeletethanks for your informative post on indoor air quality. Yes, there should be an environmental health nurse who could assess one's home or school to find risks of indoor pollutants such as, mold, radon or CO2. And my answer to this question is that EPA should make a reasonable effort to implement this care team in the BVHP school district.
San Francisco has a robust Public Health Department and School District. I'm sure that while there is only one person listed in the School District's directory as responsible for environmental health there is much behind the scenes interaction which takes place.
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