Grantee Research Project Results
2017 Progress Report: Baltimore Healthy Schools: Impact of Indoor Air Quality on Health and Performance
EPA Grant Number: R835639Title: Baltimore Healthy Schools: Impact of Indoor Air Quality on Health and Performance
Investigators: McCormack, Meredith , Connolly, Faith , Curriero, Frank , Koehler, Kirsten , Leaf, Phillip , Hall, Shane
Current Investigators: McCormack, Meredith , Leaf, Phillip , Curriero, Frank , Connolly, Faith , Koehler, Kirsten
Institution: The Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore Education Research Consortium , Baltimore City Schools
Current Institution: The Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore City Schools , Baltimore Education Research Consortium
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: December 18, 2014 through October 31, 2018 (Extended to October 31, 2019)
Project Period Covered by this Report: July 1, 2017 through June 30,2018
Project Amount: $997,822
RFA: Healthy Schools: Environmental Factors, Children’s Health and Performance, and Sustainable Building Practices (2013) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Children's Health , Human Health
Objective:
The objective of this research is to assess the impact that indoor and outdoor air quality can have on student achievement, student health and overall school climate, and to document that impact on indoor air quality (IAQ) and school performance indicators associated with modernization of school facilities in Baltimore City.
Progress Summary:
Phase I
In Year 3 of the study, we focused our Phase I efforts on analyzing existing de-identified student outcomes data through Baltimore Education Research Consortium’s Memorandum of Understanding with Baltimore City Schools. We finalized our analytical models, ran our final analyses, and prepared a manuscript, which currently is under review at International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health.
Phase II
During the third year of the project period, the study team had a series of planning and progress meetings. Since receiving IRB approval from Baltimore City Public Schools in July 2015, environmental monitoring has been conducted in a total of 28 schools. Two of the schools were monitored post-renovation during the fall, winter, and spring of the 2017-2018 academic year. Measurements have been taken in multiple seasons where possible, but this has not always been the case due to equipment limitations and standardized testing calendar within the district. We monitored for approximately 784 calendar days.
Outcomes
There is growing evidence that school IAQ and other environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, noise and lighting) may affect the health and productivity of students, teachers, and school staff. We have conducted analysis on school air quality, and school environmental conditions, academic performance, and absenteeism, with the following preliminary results:
School Environmental Conditions and Academic Performance and Absenteeism (Phase I)
School facilities, environment, and perceptions of safety and learning have been individually investigated for their impact on child development. However, it is important to consider how the environment influences academic performance and attendance after controlling for school and community factors. Poor school building conditions are common in Baltimore City because Baltimore schools were built decades ago, and high exposure to industrial pollution (RSEI) may be present in the southern city region. School building conditions and perceptions of safety strongly influenced both academic achievement and absenteeism. RSEI was associated with increased absenteeism, but not academics, which may indicate chronic health effects of air pollution exposures. No significant association was observed between roadway density and either absenteeism or academic performance. These findings provide evidence that community and school environment are associated with academic achievement and attendance. Investment in building infrastructure and safety promotes healthy school environments that may improve academic performance and provide long-term benefits.
Air Quality (Phase II)
Our findings results demonstrate higher NO2 exposures than previously reported in schools, whereas PM2.5 and CO levels were generally lower compared to the other reported results. Exceedance of the WHO guidelines for indoor air was observed, mainly for the hourly average NO2 concentrations. Seasonal variability was statistically significant for indoor NO2 and CO concentrations, with higher exposures in fall and winter. An extensive list of potential factors at the outdoor environment, school, and room level that may explain the variability in indoor exposure was examined. Factors with significant contributions to indoor exposure were mostly related to the outdoor pollution sources. This is evidenced by the strong associations between indoor concentration of CO and NO2 and factors including outdoor PM2.5 and NO2 concentrations, length of the nearby roads, and the number of nearby industrial facilities. Additionally, we found that poor conditions of the buildings (a prevalent phenomenon in the studied metropolitan area) including physical defects and lack of proper ventilation contributed to poor air quality at schools. The results suggest that improving building conditions and facilities as well as a consideration of the school surroundings may improve indoor air quality in schools. These results have been prepared for submission to Environmental Research after responding to reviewer comments from an initial submission to an alternate journal.
School Temperature (Phase II)
School districts often have older buildings with less modern HVAC systems that can be associated with worse air quality. Indoor air quality, including temperature, was longitudinally assessed in 28 schools over three seasons. Sampling strategy included in 1-minute intervals in two classrooms and two common spaces and in 10-minute intervals outdoors over a 2-week period. Temperature in classrooms and common spaces was similar within season and between seasons, with no relationship to outdoor temperature. Preliminary results demonstrated that schools were too warm or too cold indoors for approximately one-half of the monitored time. A small proportion of schools had median indoor daytime temperatures in excess of 90°F. The proportion of school days that were out of range, based on EPA recommendations, was similar across seasons.
Future Activities:
We plan to complete pre-renovation monitoring at the end of the 2018-2019 school year and return to four schools to use them as controls. We anticipate that we will monitor six post-renovation schools next calendar year. Phase I and Phase II pre-renovation data analysis will continue as described in earlier sections.
Journal Articles on this Report : 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
Other project views: | All 20 publications | 5 publications in selected types | All 5 journal articles |
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Type | Citation | ||
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Berman JD, McCormack MC, Koehler KA, Connolly F, Clemons-Erby D, Davis MF, Gummerson C, Leaf PJ, Jones TD, Curriero FC. School environmental conditions and links to academic performance and absenteeism in urban, mid-Atlantic public schools. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health 2018;221(5):800-808. |
R835639 (2016) R835639 (2017) R835639 (2018) R836152 (Final) |
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Supplemental Keywords:
Children’s respiratory health, community partnership, school practice, mediators, particulates, surveys, test scores, attendanceProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.