Identifying Asthma Triggers and Managing the Condition in the Nation’s Schools

In 2013, students missed 13.8 million school days due to asthma, making the disease a leading cause of school absenteeism according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As recently as 2015, the agency reports that 1 in 12 children had asthma.
 
Asthma is a long-term, inflammatory disease that causes the airways of the lungs to tighten and constrict, leading to wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing. The inflammation also causes the airways of the lungs to become especially sensitive to a variety of asthma triggers. The particular trigger or triggers and the severity of symptoms can differ for each person with the disease.
 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists the following common asthma triggers that can be found in our nation’s schools, they include:

• Cockroaches and other pests
• Mold resulting from moisture in the school
• Dander from animals in the classroom
• Dander brought in on clothing from animals at home
• Cleaning agents, perfumes, pesticides and other sprays
• Ozone
• Particle pollution
• Bus exhaust
• Secondhand smoke
• Dust mites

 
“This potentially life-threatening respiratory disease can be controlled through the proper medical treatment and by managing exposure risks to environmental triggers that can cause an asthma attack,” said Franco Seif, President at Clark Seif Clark (CSC). “Air monitoring instruments and indoor environmental quality testing can identify the triggers listed by the EPA along with many other known asthma triggers, respiratory irritants and allergens. If detected at elevated concentrations, corrective actions can be taken to mitigate or eliminate exposure concerns to help students manage their asthma while at school or in any built environment. Our industrial hygiene and indoor environmental quality professionals offer these important testing and consulting services.”
 
CSC also recently sponsored an educational video about managing asthma in school environments that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/wHantmU2lBo
 
To learn more about this or other indoor air quality, environmental, health and safety testing services, please visit www.csceng.com, email csc@csceng.com or call (800) 807-1118. 
 
About Clark Seif Clark
CSC was established in 1989 to help clients in both public and private sectors address indoor air quality, occupational, environmental, and health and safety (EH&S) issues. CSC is a leading provider of these services with multiple offices along the western seaboard and southwest. The company believes in science-based protocols and has a strong background in engineering, making them the preferred environmental consultants to industrial clients, healthcare facilities, architects, schools, builders, contractors, developers and real estate professionals.

Contact Information

Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

Contact via E-mail