Students: Air Quality and Performance

Today, the #1 health cause for students missing school is asthma, experts say.

This is a relatively new shift. Why are we so surprised that asthma is a big deal?

Because, until our air became so polluted, asthma was not much of a problem. It's the air toxins that are irritating young lungs and causing asthma. Between 1990 and today, the number of minors with asthma more than doubled!

In addition to absence, poor air quality can affect concentration and student performance. While both students and staff are negatively affected by poor air quality, students are more susceptible to it because they breathe more volume of air per body volume and because their breathing passages are narrower. Thus, toxins easily become concentrated in their bloodstream.

Sources:
http://content.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/smokestack/search/MI/~/northville/northville/name/~/1/
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/
http://www.generationgreen.org/school%20air%20quality%20overview.htm

Northville Schools: Air Pollution

According to USA Today, Northville High School is slightly below average in cancer-causing toxins and slightly above average for other toxins.

Nationally, NHS ranks 61st percentile.

NHS Pollution by percent:

Manganese and Manganese compounds: 23%
----Sources: pesticides, batteries
----Risks: mental and emotional disturbances, slow and clumsy body movements
--------It's a brain disease called manganism.

Chromium and Chromium compounds: 8%
----Sources: chromium 6 (the more toxic/unnatural form) is industrial waste
----Risks: convulsions, kidney damage, liver damage, cancer, death

Diisocyanates: 8%
----Sources: foams, fibers, insulation, paints, varnishes
--------Especially from the auto industry
----Risks: respiratory diseases, e.g. asthma

Nickel and Nickel compounds: 8%
----Sources: coins, jewelry, stainless steel
----Risks: chronic bronchitis, reduced lung function, lung and sinus cancers

Sulfuric acid: 5%
----Sources: petroleum purification, fertilizers, explosives, metal pickling, lead-acid batteries
----Risks: cancer of the larynx

Polluters:

1. Severstal North America Inc. (Dearborn)
 Iron and steel mills

2. Progressive Metal Forming Inc. (Hamburg)
Metal stamping

3. Basf Corp. (Wyandotte)
Basic Organic Chemical Mfg

4. Borgwarner (Livonia)
Powder Metallurgy Part Mfg

5. Guardian Industries Corp. (Carleton)
Flat Glass Mfg

Northville Public Schools:
Best schools (tied) : Thornton Creek, Moraine (63rd percentile)
Worst schools (tied) : Winchester, Meads Mill (56th percentile)

Want to find out about your school?
http://content.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/smokestack/index

Ventilation

Proper ventilation in the home can be essential to decreasing levels of indoor air pollution.  Your house may be put at risk when the intake and exhaust is not in balance, causing positive or negative pressures.  When a house is under negative pressure, outdoor air is forced inside.  This flow causes problems such as backdrafting, or when combustion gases are pulled back down chimneys, and high levels of radon.  Excess moisture in the house occurs frequently in bathrooms, so make sure to test the functioning and performance ability of your bathroom exhaust fans.  Using these tips and being aware of the airflow in your home will keep the air you breathe safe for all inhabitants.

Sources:

http://www.nyserda.org/publications/guide.pdf

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/homes/hip-ventilation.html

http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html

http://www.homeenergy.org/archive/hem.dis.anl.gov/eehem/91/910512.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7lUNMwoJcg

Cleaning

Many household cleaning products contain toxic chemicals.  In Salvador's study, all 42 products tested had harmful chemicals, including acetone, ethanol, limonene, and phenol.  Simple substitutions can decrease exposure to harmful gases while saving money.  For example, open a window for ventilation instead of using air fresheners and choose non-scented deodorant, laundry detergent, and fabric softeners.

Sources:

http://www.ei-resource.org/columns/multiple-chemical-sensitivity/scientists-find-household-cleaners-cause-indoor-air-pollution/

Wood Smoke

Safe burning techniques can help prevent unhealthy smoke from entering your home.  New EPA certifications have cut smoke emissions from wood stoves and fireplaces up to 70%; the newer models produce 2 to 7 grams of smoke per hour instead of 15 to 30 grams of smoke per hour.  An estimated 12 million wood stoves are still in existence in the United States, so following the procedures outlined in this video will help lower the risk of particle pollution entering your home and your respiratory system.

Sources:

http://www.epa.gov/burnwise/

http://www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/t1/memoranda/strategies-doc-8-11-09.pdf

Cooking

Did you know that cooking methods could affect the air you breathe?  Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, or PAHs, are released into the air during inefficient burning processes.  They could be present around the house in smoke from wood burning or in certain foods.  Increased PAH levels are found in smoked foods, foods high in fat, and foods that have been cooked over high temperature.  Exposure to these chemicals could result in cataracts, jaundice, kidney and liver damage, and cancer.  Proper ventilation, eating fewer smoked or charbroiled foods, and cutting back on fatty or oily foods will help combat this problem.

Sources:

http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/factsheets/polycyclicaromatichydrocarbons.htm

http://www.beyondveg.com/tu-j-l/raw-cooked/raw-cooked-1f.shtml

Acting Locally

After researching the issue of idling buses, we decided to try to make a difference. Here is the letter we sent to our state representative:

45700 Six Mile Road

Northville, MI 48168

February 20, 2011

Kurt Heise

Anderson House Office Bldg.
124 N. Capitol
N-699 House Office Building
Lansing, MI  48933

Dear Representative Kurt Heise,

            We’d like to bring to your attention the fact that the prolonged idling of school buses is harming the health of Michigan children. In Northville Public Schools, the buses idle for about twenty minutes in the morning and in the afternoon. These diesel fumes accumulate both around and on the buses during this time. Pollutants released include carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, sulfur oxides, sulfates, and soot. These have been proven to cause asthma and cancer. In addition, they are especially potent in children. A common myth is that idling is less harmful than stopping and restarting the engine. In fact, idling for more than three minutes produces 66% more pollution than stopping and restarting.

            On top of all these health and environmental issues, the cost of idling is significant. Running an engine at low speed (idling) actually causes twice the wear of driving full speed on a highway for the same amount of time. Idling consumes half a gallon of fuel per hour. For our high school alone, this adds up to 1200 gallons per year which costs about $4,000—money that could be going to much better use. 

            We have found two solutions for this issue:

            First, the EPA offers a State Clean Diesel Grant Program, as outlined in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This grant allocates an estimated amount of $18 million annually to a state that applies. This money must be used for retrofit technologies such as exhaust filters, catalytic converters, and alternate fuels; idle reduction technologies; technology from the EPA’s Emerging Technologies List; or the early replacement of buses with certified engine configurations.

            In addition, many states have already adopted legislation that limits the idling time of buses around schools. Michigan has not. The application of these measures would prevent the accumulation of toxins as well as save money.

Sincerely,

Catherine Culkin

Morgan Parsons

Becky Pokrandt

Michael Truong

And Mr. Szukaitis and Mr. Polanski's AP Environmental Science classes