The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #70471

Paula Schenck, MPH¹, Eileen Storey, MD, MPH¹, John A. Rhodes, MBA², Adam L. Seidner, MD MPH³, and Anne Bracker, MPH, CIH¹. (1) Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT 06030-6210, 860-679-2368, schenck@nso2.uchc.edu, (2) Lyme/Old Lyme School District, 4 Davis Rd West, Old Lyme, CT 06371, (3) Occumed, 24-1 Riverdale Landing, Old Lyme, CT 06371

Reduced building maintenance and over-burdened building structures create poor indoor environmental quality. The resulting health risks to children and school staff are complex and difficult for school communities to understand.

This presentation discusses a public school in New England faced with managing the community’s concerns for an interim year before renovation plans could be implemented. The building had extensive water damage and suspected microbial contaminants in which one teacher was removed because of recurring lower respiratory disease.

The interim improvements made over the summer of 2001 included directing air flow to reduce bioaerosol exposures, removing substantial amounts of damaged materials, cleaning the building, and stopping moisture intrusion from known roof leaks and seepage through walls. Two successive years of surveying staff illustrated the presence of building-related health symptoms and changes in symptom patterns. Symptom reports suggest that the interim interventions improved the environment for some occupants. For example, reports of lower respiratory symptoms declined after the intervention. However individuals continued to experience difficulties in the building underscoring the complexity in defining and communicating risk. In addition an innovative program to survey symptoms of children with asthma was offered over the 2001-2002 school year. A team, chaired by the school’s facility director comprised of parents, teachers, school principal and nurse, local health director representative, outside industrial hygienist consultant, and physicians and professional staff from the University of Connecticut, provided regular forums to publicly discuss information from the health surveys, industrial hygiene assessments and engineering activities in the school.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of the presentation, the participant in this session will be able to :
• 1. Describe a multi-year communication strategy involving stakeholders in a school community concerned about IEQ - local health director, parents, students, teachers, school administration, school health personnel.
• 2. Describe a survey for children with asthma implemented in a school with indoor environmental quality concerns.
• 3. Review the results of survey data
• 4. Appreciate the difficulties school communities face when implementing a multi-year program to renovate a school building to correct indoor environmental problems.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: I am an employee of the University of Connecticut Health Center