certification system:
A method that has been proven to work in the business world is the certification system. It is used mostly when selling green or earth friendly products to promote the companies environmental safety. For green products this type of certification can increase business and and the value of their products. My idea is to take this strategy and incorporate it into a way that promote air quality awareness around the school. These posters could act as a certification seal for each class room . The idea is that their would be air quality assessments for classrooms around campus. And if you were declared to have poor quality air the student performing this assessment could talk to the teacher about simple ways they could improve the quality of air in their classes. Hopefully the air quality assessments would become a trend where teachers would be willing to have them done in order to get the poster, this would also promote a environmentally concerned image for Mililani High School.
(the posters will vary, just examples)
Simple Ways to improve indoor air quality1. Keep your floors fresh.
Suck it up. Chemicals and allergens can accumulate in household dust for decades. By using a vacuum with a HEPA filter you can reduce concentrations of lead in your home. You can also get rid of other toxins, like brominated fire-retardant chemicals (PBDEs) as well as allergens like pollen, pet dander, and dust mites. Using a vacuum cleaner that has strong suction, rotating brushes, and a HEPA filter ensures that dust and dirt won’t get blown back out in the exhaust. In high traffic areas, vacuum the same spot several times. Don't forget walls, carpet edges, and upholstered furniture, where dust accumulates. For best results, vacuum two or more times each week and wash out your filter regularly. Mop it up. Mopping picks up the dust that vacuuming leaves behind. You can skip the soaps and cleaners and just use plain water to capture any lingering dust or allergens. New microfiber mops (and dust cloths) reportedly capture more dust and dirt than traditional fibers and don’t require any cleaning solutions whatsoever. |
2. Keep a healthy level of humidity.
Dust mites and mold love moisture. Keeping humidity around 30%-50% helps keep them and other allergens under control. A dehumidifier (and air conditioner during summer months) helps reduce moisture in indoor air and effectively controls allergens, Lang says. An air conditioner also reduces indoor pollen count -- another plus for allergy-sufferers. More tips for dehumidifying your home: Use an exhaust fan or crack open a window when cooking, running the dishwasher, or bathing. Don't overwater houseplants. Vent the clothes dryer to the outside. Fix leaky plumbing to prevent moisture-loving mold. Empty drip pans in your window air conditioner and dehumidifier. (Courtesy of WebMD)
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Current EPA standards:
Background EPA standards:
Fine Particle Standards:
• EPA has two primary standards for fine particles: an annual standard, designed to protect against health effects caused by exposures ranging from days to years; and a 24-hour standard, designed to provide additional protection on days with high peak PM2.5 concentrations.
24-hour standards
o Primary -- EPA has substantially strengthened the primary 24-hour fine particle standard, lowering it from the current level of 65 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3) to 35μg/m3. EPA based this decision on an assessment of a significantly expanded body of scientific information. The assessment concluded that the standard should be strengthened to better protect the public from the health effects associated with short-term fine particle exposures.
o Secondary -- The Agency has set the secondary standard at the same level as the primary standard (35μg/m3).
Annual standards
o Primary -- EPA is retaining the primary annual standard at 15μg/m3 based on its assessment of several expanded, re-analyzed and new studies that have increased the Agency’s confidence in associations between long-term PM2.5 exposure and serious health effects that were documented in the prior review. The assessment concluded that this standard continues to be appropriate to protect the public from health effects associated with long-term fine particle exposures.
Secondary -- The Agency has set the secondary standard at the same level as the primary standard (15μg/m3).
Coarse Particle Standards
24-hour standards
• EPA is revoking the annual PM10 standards, because there is insufficient evidence linking health problems to long-term exposure to inhalable coarse particle pollution.
- The Clean Air Act requires EPA to set national air quality standards for particulate matter and five other pollutants considered harmful to public health and the environment (the other pollutants are ozone, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and lead).
- law requires EPA to periodically review the standards to ensure that they provide adequate health and environmental protection, and to update those standards as necessary.
- EPA is concerned about particles that are 10 micrometers in diameter or smaller because those are the particles that generally pass through the throat and nose and enter the lungs
- Once inhaled, these particles can affect the heart and lungs and cause serious health effects
Fine Particle Standards:
• EPA has two primary standards for fine particles: an annual standard, designed to protect against health effects caused by exposures ranging from days to years; and a 24-hour standard, designed to provide additional protection on days with high peak PM2.5 concentrations.
24-hour standards
o Primary -- EPA has substantially strengthened the primary 24-hour fine particle standard, lowering it from the current level of 65 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3) to 35μg/m3. EPA based this decision on an assessment of a significantly expanded body of scientific information. The assessment concluded that the standard should be strengthened to better protect the public from the health effects associated with short-term fine particle exposures.
o Secondary -- The Agency has set the secondary standard at the same level as the primary standard (35μg/m3).
Annual standards
o Primary -- EPA is retaining the primary annual standard at 15μg/m3 based on its assessment of several expanded, re-analyzed and new studies that have increased the Agency’s confidence in associations between long-term PM2.5 exposure and serious health effects that were documented in the prior review. The assessment concluded that this standard continues to be appropriate to protect the public from health effects associated with long-term fine particle exposures.
Secondary -- The Agency has set the secondary standard at the same level as the primary standard (15μg/m3).
Coarse Particle Standards
24-hour standards
- EPA is retaining the current 24-hour PM10 standards to protect against health and welfare effects associated with exposure to some types of coarse particles. Short-term exposure to coarse particles in urban and industrial areas is associated with serious health effects. Retaining this standard will provide protection in all areas of the country against the effects of short-term exposure to such coarse particles.
- Scientific evidence links health problems to coarse particle exposure in urban and industrial areas, but evidence about exposure in rural areas is limited. The Agency is recommending that States focus their control programs on urban and industrial sources that are contributing to air quality violations.
- The Agency intends to characterize uncertainties in the currently available information on coarse particles as part of the Agency’s ongoing PM research program.
• EPA is revoking the annual PM10 standards, because there is insufficient evidence linking health problems to long-term exposure to inhalable coarse particle pollution.