Ensuring Healthy Indoor Air Quality in Puerto Rico’s Preschools and Daycare Centers

Recently, WPVI published an article about a University of Missouri study that looked at indoor air quality (IAQ) issues in daycare centers and preschools. The article, “Study raising eyebrows about indoor air quality in child care centers,” has garnered the attention of parents who depend on these facilities to watch over their children for up to 10 hours a day.
 
According to the report, an air monitoring instrument developed by university researchers identified 47 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in these facilities during the study. Exposure to any of these could potentially impact the health of building occupants. 
 
VOCs are a diverse group of organic chemical compounds that are used in many products and building materials. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some with familiar names such as formaldehyde, and some which may have short and long-term adverse health effects for people who breathe the chemicals. These chemicals are not just a concern for preschools and daycare centers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports, “Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products numbering in the thousands.” 
 
“Daycare centers and preschools need to be especially vigilant of indoor air quality issues since children’s lungs are still developing and are more susceptible to infections and any pollution and contaminants they may breathe,” said Harry Pena, President of Zimmetry Environmental. “In fact, children breathe up to 4 times as much per pound of body weight as do adults. VOCs aren’t the only IAQ issue to be found in many of these facilities. Other common problems involve everything from particulate matter and carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, radon, lead, asbestos, pesticides, mold, bacteria, environmental tobacco smoke, radon and allergens from plants, pets, insects and rodents.”
 
To help in these situations, Puerto Rico’s indoor air quality professionals at Zimmetry Environmental provide testing services for VOCs and all types of indoor pollutants. If an issue is discovered, their experts can provide a path to eliminate or mitigate the problem to ensure a healthy indoor environment.
 
To learn more about Zimmetry Environmental and their indoor air quality, environmental, and compliance testing and consulting services, please visit www.zimmetry.com, call (787) 995.0005, or email info@zimmetry.com .
 
About Zimmetry Environmental
Since 2002, Zimmetry Environmental has been providing environmental consulting services to building owners and managers, architects, engineers, EHS professionals, and Fortune 500 companies.  The company is based in Puerto Rico and provides services across the Caribbean and Central America.  The professionals at Zimmetry offer environmental compliance, indoor air quality, asbestos, lead-based paint, Phase I ESAs, and general environmental consulting services.
 

Contact Information

Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

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