Poor air quality surrounding local schools: Hazard or hype?

Friday, December 12, 2008

By Michael Pommier

Herald-Tribune

USA TODAY recently published a report on the air quality in schools across the country. The problem with the study, according to the U.S. Environmental Protec-tion Agency, is that the information provided is not accurate.

USA TODAY, along with researchers and scientists from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md. and the University of Maryland took samples and analyzed the quality of air from 127,800 schools across the country. The goal of the study was to examine the exposure to industrial pollution and determine what toxic chemicals children breathe while they are at school.

According to USA TODAY the toxicity assessments for each school are based on emissions data collected by the EPA in 2005.

According to EPA spokesperson David Bryan the data used is an accumulation of toxic data reported by companies from within the facilities.

He also said USA TODAY used tools provided by the EPA which is available to the public and are not designed to make specific results for communities.

Bryan said that USA TODAY tested 95 schools and used the proper technology on 23 of the 95 schools. He added that the researchers and scientists working with USA TODAY used that data to come up with a model which was applied to the rest of the country.

The study appeared to indicate both Fort Scott High School and Nevada High School were contaminated by a chemical known as di-isocyanate. However, Bryan said this particular chemical cannot contaminate the air outside a factory.

"When it hits open air, it dissipates so fast we can't even monitor it," Bryan said.

According to Bryan, USA TODAY has determined that any chemical that might be used in a factory affects everything around them for a fairly large distance, a premise with which Bryan disagrees.

"The report they have can't say that because they don't know the conditions," Bryan said.

Industrial facilities are governed by many different agencies including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Due to regulations by OSHA and the EPA the emissions reported by USA TODAY are unlikely.

"You will rarely, if any, find any fumes or any gases outside these factories," Bryan said.

The Herald-Tribune talked with local school officials about the study as well; and officials gave mixed responses.

Fort Scott High School ranked in the 63rd percentile while Fort Scott Middle School was slightly lower ranking in the 61st percentile.

"Obviously we all want our children safe and our staff," USD 234 superintendent Rick Werling.

Both Nevada High School and Nevada Middle School ranked in the 81st percentile, a rank which they are proud of but see room for improvement.

"The fact that we have that high of a percentile with an industry in town is pretty positive," Nevada R-5 superintendent David Stephens said.

Stephens believes the results of the study should not be ignored even though the information may not be accurate.

"We can't ignore information that is put out in any kind of a public venue ... but what we are concerned with is meeting standards that are governed by governmental regulations," Stephens said.

Other area schools faired well including Uniontown High School which scored well, ranking in the 77th percentile and Northeast High School in Arma, Kan. scoring in the 23rd percentile.

Most disappointing was Pittsburg High School ranking at the bottom in the 1st percentile while Pittsburg Community Middle School was slightly better, ranking in the 3rd percentile, and USD 250 superintendent Robin Dixon disagrees with the results and the way the study was conducted.

"They didn't test our schools ... they just applied a model," Dixon said.

Bryan said the EPA does not support the statements made by USA TODAY.

"Anybody can look at the number, but the problem is the numbers don't tell the story," Bryan said.