The Environmental Protection Agency recently announced a resource guide to assist schools with improved indoor air quality. The "IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit" helps schools work to manage asthma within the school environment. It outlines 10 ways officials can manage asthma, IAQ techniques that work, asthma triggers and more. Below is a excerpt from the tool.

10 Ways to Manage Asthma

  1. Use the IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit - Help people with asthma by improving the school environment with IAQ practices recommended in this kit.
     
  2. Control Animal Allergens - Remove classroom animals from the school, if possible.  If not, locate animals away from sensitive students and ventilation systems.
     
  3. Control Cockroach Allergens - Use Integrated Pest Management practices to prevent cockroach and other pest problems (e.g., store food in tightly sealed containers and place dumpsters away from the building).
     
  4. Clean Up Mold and Control Moisture - Fix moisture problems and thoroughly dry wet areas within 24-48 hours to prevent mold growth.  Clean up moldy hard surfaces with water and detergent, then dry thoroughly.
     
  5. Eliminate Secondhand Smoke Exposure - Enforce no-smoking policies in the school
     
  6. Reduce Dust Mite Exposure - Make sure school is dusted and vacuumed thoroughly and regularly.
     
  7. Develop an Asthma Management Plan in Your School - Include school policies on inhaler and medication usage, emergency procedures for school staff when a student has an asthma attack.  Obtain the U.S. Dept. of HHS, NIH, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's "Managing Asthma: A Guide for Schools" (see www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/lung/asthma/asth_sch.htm)
     
  8. Provide School-Based Asthma Education Programs - Contact your local American Lung Association about Open Airways, a school-based asthma management program for students with asthma.
     
  9. File Student Asthma Action Cards - Make sure students with asthma obtain and turn in copies of their Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America action cards to teachers, school nurse, etc.  Encourage students to find out and identify their asthma triggers.
     
  10. Gather Additional Asthma Information and Resources - Establish a complete file on existing asthma and allergy-related information sources to reference throughout the school year.