Environmental assessment of school sites is accomplished through school walk-arounds, both indoor and outdoor. Schools are filled with and surrounded by asthma risk factors. Many students spend up to 8 hours inside the school zone (the school building, its play spaces, yards, and adjacent streets) where asthma triggers and air quality contaminants are plentiful. Dust, molds, pests, and allergens are plentiful in schools. Asthmatic students suffer academically, psychologically, and socially when their environment makes them ill.

Many furnishings and decorations in classrooms and school buildings can aggravate asthma or can harbor asthma triggers. Rugs, carpeting and different floor covers aggravate asthma because of the chemicals they are treated with, and because, if inadequately cared for, they become homes to dirt, dust, dust mites, mold, head lice, mouse droppings, roach dust and outdoor debris carried in on shoes. In the lcassrooms ofyounger children, they are likely to be occasionally soaked with urine. Even if properly cared for, carpets and floor coverings may off-gas toxic fumes like formaldehydes. Inhaling formaldehyde fumes can cause respiratory problems and asthma-like symptoms, and bronchitis.

Often children bring or promote triggers into the school building. Improperly stored wet clothing can mildew or grow mold. Snacks and lunches stored in unsealed containers in desks and cubbies can attract rodents and other pests. Cockroaches, and cockroach droppings, are asthma triggers, in fact, cockroaches are the leading cause of asthma in urban youth. Integrated pest management (IPM) makes the environmental conditions unattractive to pests, thus removing them from the area without necessarily using chemical pesticides. By changing structures and habits so as to eliminate the resources pests need for survival (food, water and shelter) and by inspecting and maintaining facilities, pests will never return.

Asthma triggers and promoters are found beyond furniture and decorations – the school building itself can be a toxic structure. This phenomenon is known as “sick building syndrome.” Building materials like asbestos, toxic paints, and poorly stored cleaning materials and poor building design all impact the health of the building’s occupants. Sick school buildings lead to poor classroom performance for students, and makes school an unpleasant and unjoyful experience for youngsters.

Asbestos is a common toxic substance in older buildings. Microscopic asbestos fibers have a harmful effect upon the airways and asthmatic airways are extremely sensitive to this type of irritation. The fine fibers of asbestos fuel can circumvent respiratory defense mechanisms and scarring lung tissue.” Asbestos exposure often affects people who unaware of the presence of asbestos and unable to take the proper precautions. Chronic exposures to asbestos fibers or occupational exposure can trigger asthma, and cause asbestosis (scarring of the lungs), pulmonary fibrosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma.

Many interior paints used in school buildings are toxic and contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as benzene, formaldehyde, kerosene, ammonia, toluene, and xylene; all known carcinogens and neurotoxins with strong odors. Exposure to VOCs can worsen asthma symptoms and also contribute to indoor air pollution and the formation of ground level ozone, which can lead to acute respiratory problems. School janitors have been advised to paint after hours

Strong odors alone can be asthma triggers. Amines, acid anhydrides, preservatives/disinfectants, isocyanates, fungicide, perfumes and fragranced personal care products chemicals all are common asthma triggers used inside a building. By controlling the use of smelly cleaning products, and by maintaining good ventilation and storage practices, most odors can be minimized controlled. Cleaning product fumes in schools and offices are the most complained about sources of poor indoor air quality and are a common trigger of occupational asthma. By using unscented chemicals and by properly ventilated office spaces, many of the health issues related to asthma can be ameliorated.

Air circulation is significant to this discussion of interior and exterior air quality. Teachers need top open at lest two windows evry day for ten minutes in order to refresh room air, paying attention to traffic patterns. Sick building syndrome is a result of new building construction that has made buildings more airtight, reducing the amount of fresh air circulating indoors. New building materials and chemicals used in upholstery, detergents, and paint, make an indoor environment teeming with pollutants.

Ambient air quality in the immediate vicinity of schools in urban areas is often unsafe. Nearby usage of pesticides, and mixed industrial uses within the school zone, and high traffic make the air unclean. Exposure to chemical herbicides and pesticides can lead to persistent asthma in children.