The Pollution Detectives School Project Is pollution in

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The Pollution Detectives School Project Is pollution in your school buildings hurting the students?

The Pollution Detectives School Project Is pollution in your school buildings hurting the students? www. The. Pollution. Detectives. org The. Pollution. Detectives@gmail. com 1

By the end of this presentation you will understand some barriers to students’ and

By the end of this presentation you will understand some barriers to students’ and teachers’ success that often go unrecognized. And you will learn what we are going to do about them. 2

One out of every five Americans either attends or works at a K-12 school.

One out of every five Americans either attends or works at a K-12 school. 3

Childhood Exposure To Lead Can Reduce IQ For Life 4

Childhood Exposure To Lead Can Reduce IQ For Life 4

“Portland, Oregon unnerved by discovery of high lead levels in school drinking water. ”

“Portland, Oregon unnerved by discovery of high lead levels in school drinking water. ” http: //www. latimes. com/nation/la-na-portland-water-20160613 -snap-story. html 5

“Gov. Christie [of New Jersey] has ordered lead testing at every public school in

“Gov. Christie [of New Jersey] has ordered lead testing at every public school in the state after dozens of schools were found to have lead-contaminated water supplies. ” https: //www. washingtonpost. com/national/health-science/schools-around-thecountry-find-lead-in-water-with-no-easy-answers/2016/07/03/b 44240 fe-37 c 3 -11 e 6 a 254 -2 b 336 e 293 a 3 c_story. html? utm_term=. fa 8 f 4 c 4 ff 94 c 6

Two out of every three Texas schools tested for lead in the drinking water

Two out of every three Texas schools tested for lead in the drinking water revealed unsafe levels of lead. https: //www. dallasnews. com/opinion/commentary/2017/ 03/30/texas-must-eliminate-lead-water-schools 7

One in five of the school systems tested by the EPA between 2012 and

One in five of the school systems tested by the EPA between 2012 and 2015 were found to have unsafe levels of lead in the drinking water. https: //www. usatoday. com/story/news/nation/2016/03/17/drinking-water -lead-schools-day-cares/81220916/ 8

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, right behind smoking. EPA estimates

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, right behind smoking. EPA estimates one in five American schools has a radon level requiring attention. https: //www. epa. gov/radon-schools 9

Students who attend schools in areas with outside air pollution fail standardized tests twice

Students who attend schools in areas with outside air pollution fail standardized tests twice as often as students who attend schools with clean outside air. Schools in areas with clean air Failure Rate 21% Schools in areas with polluted air Failure rate 42% Paul Mohai et al. Health Aff 2011; 30: 852 -862 10

“Studies have estimated that a third or more of U. S. schools have serious

“Studies have estimated that a third or more of U. S. schools have serious mold, dust and other indoor air problems. ” Schools WITH Indoor Air Problems Schools WITHOUT Indoor Air Problems 11 http: //www. cnn. com/2012/01/14/health/school-indoor-air-pollution/index. html

An indoor air problem that has nothing to do with Climate Change - High

An indoor air problem that has nothing to do with Climate Change - High levels indicate a lack of fresh clean air. 12

Emerging Research State and Federal laws on indoor air quality are based on obsolete

Emerging Research State and Federal laws on indoor air quality are based on obsolete ASHRAE standards, currently set at 5, 000 ppm CO 2. Yet, scientific research indicates that an Indoor CO 2 level of 1000 ppm is the upper limit for effective learning in occupied classrooms. https: //ehp. niehs. nih. gov/1104789/ http: //escholarship. org/uc/item/5 sw 56439#page-9 http: //content. healthaffairs. org/content/30/5/852. full? relatedrls=yes&legid=healthaff; 30/5/852 13

Therefore, a school classroom setting with CO 2 levels between 1000 and 5000 ppm

Therefore, a school classroom setting with CO 2 levels between 1000 and 5000 ppm may pass standards, but will hinder student learning. 14

When classroom levels of CO 2 were at 600 ppm, students tested in the

When classroom levels of CO 2 were at 600 ppm, students tested in the 95 th percentile At 1, 000 ppm- students tested in the 80 th percentile At 2, 000 ppm- students tested in the 40 th percentile Is CO 2 an Indoor Pollutant? Direct Effects of Low-to. Moderate CO 2 Concentrations on Human Decision. Making Performance Usha Satish, 1 Mark J. Mendell, 2 Krishnamurthy Shekhar, 1 Toshifumi Hotchi, 2 Douglas Sullivan, 2 Siegfried Streufert, 1 and William J. Fisk 2

School Facility Conditions and Student Academic Achievement, Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Researchers have repeatedly found

School Facility Conditions and Student Academic Achievement, Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Researchers have repeatedly found higher standardized test scores, ranging between 5 and 17 percentile points, when students study in non-polluted buildings. “Our district implemented an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) management plan that led to unprecedented academic success for our students. Since 2005, we have seen an increase of 17. 3 percent on test scores and an increase in the average daily attendance rate to 97 percent. ” Frank Di. Nella, Keller Independent School District, Texas 16

One of the best and cheapest ways to improve student test scores is to

One of the best and cheapest ways to improve student test scores is to remove lead, radon, and air pollution from schools. POLLUTION IN SCHOOLS 17

There are currently no federal regulations to routinely inspect schools for pollution. A dozen

There are currently no federal regulations to routinely inspect schools for pollution. A dozen states have very modest requirements. The rest, including North Carolina, have none. 18 http: //www. cnn. com/2012/01/14/health/school-indoor-airpollution/index. html

So the next questions would be…

So the next questions would be…

How much lead is in the water in our schools? How much radon is

How much lead is in the water in our schools? How much radon is in our schools? How much polluted air is in our schools?

The scary thing is… We have no idea.

The scary thing is… We have no idea.

SO, we set up a program to lend pollution detection equipment to students! They

SO, we set up a program to lend pollution detection equipment to students! They can use this equipment in their own schools to investigate radon levels, lead in the water, and 5 kinds of air pollution. 22

Then students can present their findings to the school administrators, School Board and/or PTA.

Then students can present their findings to the school administrators, School Board and/or PTA.

Two schools were studied for our 2016/2017 pilot project: Shady Brook Elementary in Cabarrus

Two schools were studied for our 2016/2017 pilot project: Shady Brook Elementary in Cabarrus County, and Knox Middle School in Rowan County. Our results: No lead detected in any of the water tested. No dangerous Radon levels detected. But, both had poor indoor air quality.

Shady Brook Elementary Room for improvement in CO 2 Levels (current levels are not

Shady Brook Elementary Room for improvement in CO 2 Levels (current levels are not a threat to human health, but an impact on learning is still possible). 25

Knox Middle School Note: The meter could not measure above 2, 000 ppm 26

Knox Middle School Note: The meter could not measure above 2, 000 ppm 26

Status of the Project Received 501 -c-3 tax exempt status and received donations totaling

Status of the Project Received 501 -c-3 tax exempt status and received donations totaling $25, 500 from individuals and local Rotary Clubs. Received donation of software that helps us track the lending of equipment, and organizes our volunteer staff. Flint Michigan schools have reached out for help. Former head of EPA Clean Schools program reviewed our initiative, and called it “a game changer for American education. ” We have been invited to survey one County K-12 school system with 42 schools, and one City K-12 school system with 8 schools. Our goal is to complete the surveys of all 50 schools by the end of spring term 2018, and publish results to the communities. Schools as far away as California have discovered our website and are reaching out for guidance as to how to start a similar project. 27

For spring 2018 semester, the goal of The Pollution Detectives is to lend or

For spring 2018 semester, the goal of The Pollution Detectives is to lend or install enough pollution detection tool kits to test 50 of the Charlotte area’s 500 K-12 schools, develop procedure manuals and data storage/recovery systems that can be shared with others who wish to undertake similar efforts. During summer of 2018 we will be seeking funding to significantly expand the project. 28

Most presentations conclude with The End. We don’t. Because it is only The Beginning.

Most presentations conclude with The End. We don’t. Because it is only The Beginning. 29