News
Asthma Coalition Recognized by EPA
From left, Mike Flynn, Director, Office of Radiation and Indoor Air, U.S. EPA; Tolle Graham, Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health; Laurita Kaigler-Crawlle, HRiA.
April 1, 2011
The Boston Urban Asthma Coalition (BUAC) was presented with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2010 National Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Connector Award on March 31 for its exemplary efforts to improve air quality within Boston public schools.
"The coalition has fully embodied a leadership role in asthma management in Boston through a multi-pronged approach to address environmental asthma triggers in classrooms," said Stephen Perkins, director of the Office of Ecosystem Protection for the EPA in New England.
BUAC, a program of Health Resources in Action, was founded in 1997 when a group of concerned parents and agencies met to discuss improving environmental conditions in Boston's affordable housing with the goal of reducing asthma triggers like mold and second-hand smoke. BUAC quickly recognized the importance of expanding a healthy environment from public housing to public schools as a way to prevent respiratory problems in children. Asthma accounts for more than 14 million missed school days annually throughout the United States and is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization among those younger than 15.
Over the years, BUAC has successfully advocated for improved environmental conditions in all 140 Boston Public Schools (BPS) as well as the development of a government and community workgroup to address indoor air quality problems, the expansion of integrated pest management practices, and the use of non-toxic cleaners in schools.
"Schools are sometimes not thought of as workplaces, but they are, and air quality is just as important for a factory worker in a manufacturing plant as it is for a student and teacher in an elementary school," said Tolle Graham, a Labor and Environment Coordinator for the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health and chair of BUAC's Healthy Schools Committee.
At Trotter Elementary School, for example, there was a high incidence of asthma among students last year. To address this, BUAC pushed for a major cleanup last summer that involved replacing old carpeting, storing chemicals and removing clutter that collected dust. Officials report a decrease in asthma problems this year.
"BUAC ensures that policies are adhered to in BPS by working in partnership with the school district," said Laurita Kaigler-Crawlle, a project director in HRiA's environmental health department who oversees BUAC. "Even though we're outsiders, our voice is heard and the work is collaborative. This award recognizes our approach to partnerships and working in collaboration in order to achieve results."
Graham echoed this sentiment, adding "I hope that other school districts around the country see what this coalition approach can achieve and try it for themselves."
"The coalition has fully embodied a leadership role in asthma management in Boston through a multi-pronged approach to address environmental asthma triggers in classrooms," said Stephen Perkins, director of the Office of Ecosystem Protection for the EPA in New England.
BUAC, a program of Health Resources in Action, was founded in 1997 when a group of concerned parents and agencies met to discuss improving environmental conditions in Boston's affordable housing with the goal of reducing asthma triggers like mold and second-hand smoke. BUAC quickly recognized the importance of expanding a healthy environment from public housing to public schools as a way to prevent respiratory problems in children. Asthma accounts for more than 14 million missed school days annually throughout the United States and is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization among those younger than 15.
Over the years, BUAC has successfully advocated for improved environmental conditions in all 140 Boston Public Schools (BPS) as well as the development of a government and community workgroup to address indoor air quality problems, the expansion of integrated pest management practices, and the use of non-toxic cleaners in schools.
"Schools are sometimes not thought of as workplaces, but they are, and air quality is just as important for a factory worker in a manufacturing plant as it is for a student and teacher in an elementary school," said Tolle Graham, a Labor and Environment Coordinator for the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health and chair of BUAC's Healthy Schools Committee.
At Trotter Elementary School, for example, there was a high incidence of asthma among students last year. To address this, BUAC pushed for a major cleanup last summer that involved replacing old carpeting, storing chemicals and removing clutter that collected dust. Officials report a decrease in asthma problems this year.
"BUAC ensures that policies are adhered to in BPS by working in partnership with the school district," said Laurita Kaigler-Crawlle, a project director in HRiA's environmental health department who oversees BUAC. "Even though we're outsiders, our voice is heard and the work is collaborative. This award recognizes our approach to partnerships and working in collaboration in order to achieve results."
Graham echoed this sentiment, adding "I hope that other school districts around the country see what this coalition approach can achieve and try it for themselves."
« Return
