September 21, 2007

Most Parents Don't Know About "Sick School Syndrome"

It is often taken for granted that schools are key to the spread of illness from child to child (or child to teacher). But beyond the nagging colds, stomach viruses and other more temporary maladies, did you know that your child school could be the cause of some lifelong conditions? Much like the conditions that afflict adults who work in “sick buildings”, many children face an unhealthy “sick school” environment on a daily basis.

i told you that school makes me sick

“Sick schools” are buildings that have one or more indoor air contaminants, such as:

Bacteria
Viruses
Mold
Mildew
Animal Dander
Dust mites
Formaldehyde
Pesticides
Airborne Lead or Mercury
Carbon monoxide
Nitrogen dioxide
Radon

This list of contaminants contains an extremely varied collection of elements that are linked to health concerns ranging from watery eyes to cancer.

Government statistics show that 20% of schools experience problems due to poor air quality—that’s 1 out of every 5 schools (which in turn represents 8.4 million students).

Symptoms associated with “Sick school syndrome” are often as varied as the contaminants that cause them. Here is a list of the possible symptoms and conditions that commonly accompany “sick schools” and “sick buildings” (Remember, Sick Building Syndrome at work or at school will affect multiple employees or students—an occurrence among only a few may not indicate a problem with air quality.)

Allergic sensitization and/or allergy-like symptoms: eye irritation, watery eyes, nose and throat discomfort, chest tightness, shortness of breath, cough, allergic skin reaction, vomiting, nose bleeds, fatigue, dizziness
Flu-like symptoms: fatigue, headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting
exacerbation of asthma
rhinitis
conjunctival inflammation
recurrent fever
malaise
tachycardia (quickened heart beat)

Often times these symptoms are associated with a certain room or part of a building and will be experienced by several students or staff members. Because the list of symptoms are similar to many more-common illnesses, it is very hard to determine true cases of SBS before they become so pronounced that large numbers of people get sick.

A school in Houston had 9 teachers and 7 janitors visiting the local emergency room due to difficulty in breathing and irritated eyes. In spite of this number of sick individuals, the teachers’ union is still having a hard time convincing school officials of the problem. Often there is a reluctance to disclose evidence of poor air quality even if it exists, because of the inevitable string of lawsuits that it would produce. So, what *can* you do to keep your child safe?

Here are some tips for parents to help indentify what their child’s symptoms are from:

Be aware of any allergic tendencies: if you know that your child has allergies or asthma, make sure that you are keeping up with treatment at home (even if the condition is mild).
- Take your child to see an allergist to determine what he or she is allergic to (allergy tests may reveal allergic reactions to elements that might be at school and not in your home).
- Maintain allergic reactions with prescribed medications and allergen avoidance. If your child's asthma or allergies are stable at home, but flare when they come home from school, then you can pinpoint what is triggering attacks and where the encounters are taking place.
- Part of allergen avoidance is removing airborne particles using an air purifier with a HEPA filter. Check out Dynamic Air Cleaners CT500 for a room-size console unit.
Monitor colds and other ailments: though colds often are reoccurring (especially in schools, where they are spread from student to student), but some of the persistent symptoms of poor air quality will resemble a cold or the flu.
If a large number of students are chronically ill with cold-like symptoms, or if there are several instances of emergency room visits and/or hospitalizations, it may be time to take the topic up with school officials.