EPA Offers New IAQ Guidance for Schools in Puerto Rico

Just a few months into the new school year and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released new guidance to help school districts protect indoor air quality while increasing energy efficiency during school renovations.
 
Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, stated, “This guidance provides common-sense solutions for improving energy efficiency and indoor air quality in schools across the country.  By using these guidelines, school districts can cut their energy bills and help ensure that students have a healthy and safe learning environment.”
 
Protecting the indoor air quality (IAQ) and energy management of schools are both important considerations for administrators and facility managers during energy upgrades and retrofits.  Schools in Puerto Rico can protect occupant health by addressing both of these goals holistically.
 
“Renovation and construction activities can create dust, introduce new contaminants and contaminant pathways, create or aggravate moisture problems, and result in ventilation issues in schools,” said Harry Pena, President of Zimmetry Environmental.   “Failure to conduct these activities properly can expose student and all building occupants to a wide range of potentially hazardous substances.  These often include volatile organic compounds (VOCs), mold, lead, bacteria, asbestos, mercury, PCBs and more.”
 
Zimmetry Environmental has building science professionals who are experts at identifying and resolving indoor environmental issues in schools while incorporating the need to improve energy efficiency.  These services help to ensure that all building occupants are not being exposed to potentially hazardous materials while the facility maximizes its energy savings potential. 
 
Zimmetry has sponsored a video about IAQ issues in schools that can be seen at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ktQGXR5xPA
 
To learn more about healthy indoor environments in schools, residential and commercial buildings, 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 (IAQ), asbestos, lead-based paint, Phase I ESAs and general environmental consulting services.

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Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

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