by Rebecca Walker — June 21, 2010—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has completed air quality testing outside 63 schools across the country to determine whether air quality at these schools poses long-term health concerns for children.
The testing was done as part of an unprecedented school air monitoring initiative announced by EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson last year to protect children from toxic air pollution around schools. The agency has posted preliminary data to its Web site throughout the project to make public the levels of the 62 air toxics the monitors are checking. To date, the agency says it has posted more than 22,500 sampling results for the schools.
EPA has consistently provided information to schools, communities, and state and federal regulators to help determine if there were any immediate health concerns, and the agency has now begun work on the next step in the initiative, analyzing the data to determine potential long-term health risks to school children and staff.
The remaining health analyses will be issued throughout the summer and fall, as EPA completes analyses for each school. EPA will use the results to determine next steps, which could include additional monitoring at a school or the surrounding community, or enforcement actions where appropriate.
For more information, see the EPA Web site.
