Environmental Allergens and Irritants in Schools: A Focus on Asthma

• Published in: The Journal of school health Vol. 72; no. 1; pp. 33 - 38
• Main Authors: Tortolero, Susan R., Bartholomew, L. Kay, Tyrrell, Shellie, Abramson, Stuart L., Sockrider, Marianna M., Markham, Christine M., Whitehead, Lawrence W., Parcel, Guy S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.2002; American School Health Association
• Subjects: Air Pollution, Indoor - analysis; Allergens - analysis; Asthma; Asthma - epidemiology; Asthma - prevention & control; Causes of; Check Lists; Child; Child health; Children; Classrooms; Climate Control; Data Collection; Educational Environment; Elementary schools; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Epidemiological Monitoring; Floors and Floorcoverings; Health aspects; Health education; Health Programs; Health Promotion; Humans; Indoor air quality; Irritants - analysis; Libraries; Lunch Programs; Management Development; Maximum Allowable Concentration; Medical Services; Observation; Pollution; Prevalence; Public schools; Schools; Texas - epidemiology; Urban Schools; Urban Youth; Ventilation; Texas; United States; United States > US
• ISSN: 0022-4391; 1746-1561
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2002.tb06509.x

As part of the Partners in School Asthma Management Program, environmental data were collected from 385 rooms in 60 elementary schools in southeast Texas, using an Environmental Observation Checklist and a Q‐TRAK Indoor Air Quality Monitor. Dust samples for allergen analysis were collected from floors, carpets, and area rugs in 80 classrooms in a subset of 20 schools. CO2 levels >1,000 ppm were found in 86% of rooms; 69% had indoor humidity above recommended levels. Der p I dust mite allergen levels >2,000 ng/g were present in 20% of rooms, but only 2.5% of rooms had Der f I mite allergen levels exceeding recommended tolerances. Detectable levels of cockroach allergen (Bla g II) were found in all schools (median 5.5 ng/g), with 10% of rooms over the recommended threshold. Almost two‐thirds of classrooms had mold spore counts >10,000 col/g (median, 14,400 col/g; range, 2,000 – 52,000 col/g).