Air Pollution Increases Asthma Rates at Schools

LA Testing provides both outdoor and indoor air quality (IAQ) testing solutions to help identify airborne contaminants to protect students and teachers.

Garden Grove, CA

Asthma is a common childhood disease that new research indicates may be made worse for some children due to air pollution at their schools. The Environmental Health Perspectives journal recently published research implicating traffic-related air pollution as a cause of children developing asthma.

Researchers from the University of Southern California followed 2,500 children from 45 schools and 13 communities who did not suffer from asthma at the beginning of the study. Each was below the age of 6 and the children were just entering kindergarten or 1st grade.

Since many public schools in urban environments are located near busy intersections or freeways the children in the area are exposed to the pollution both when they are outdoors and when the air infiltrates into the classrooms. The three year study measured particulates, nitrogen oxide and ozone in the area. During the course of the research project 120 of the children developed asthma.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) bulletin (EPA 402-f-00-009) also reports, “Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) can cause illness requiring absence from school, and can cause acute health symptoms that decrease performance while at school. In addition, recent data suggest that poor IAQ can reduce a person’s ability to perform specific mental tasks requiring concentration, calculation, or memory.”

LA Testing, an affiliate of EMSL Analytical and a leading provider of outdoor and indoor air quality testing services, has a long tradition of working with school districts across the country to identify air quality concerns. “LA Testing can provide all types of air quality testing instrumentation and analyses to ensure our students and teachers are breathing healthy air while they are at school,” reported Ben Sublasky, National Director of Client Services for LA Testing and EMSL Analytical.

To learn more about air quality testing services and products please visit www.LATesting.com, email info@LATesting.com or call (800) 755-1794.

About LA Testing and EMSL Analytical, Inc.
LA Testing and EMSL Analytical are providers of environmental testing services and products to professionals and the general public. The companies have an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies.

Contact Information

Ben Sublasky

National Director of Clients Services/Operations Manager

EMSL Analytical, Inc.

Contact via E-mail