MIDDLETOWN
STANDARD VOLUME 1 / NO. 5 January 2003
BUILDING A LEARNING COMMUNITY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
GOOD INDOOR AIR QUALITY REPORT...
In a proactive, voluntary effort to avoid or minimize any adverse impact the environment may have on its faculty, staff, students and visitors, the Middletown Public Schools hired Vortex Inc., an environmental services company from Warwick, RI, to conduct a district wide Indoor Air Quality Study.
On November 21, 2002, Vortex conducted random air testing in various locations throughout the school buildings district wide including classrooms, offices and hallways. In addition to the random testing, members of the school community were invited to provide areas of concern to be tested and measurements were also taken outside school buildings to be used as “controls”. Testing was performed to capture readings for temperature/relative humidity, carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and moisture content. These measurements were chosen because of the direct contributions they could have with common health related problems, such as mold allergies, headaches, itchy eyes, and tiredness.
According to the Vortex Report, none of our six schools appeared to have any serious Indoor Air Quality issues at the time of sampling. A small percentage of classrooms district wide showed a carbon dioxide level greater than 1000 parts per million. Although this level is within the OSHA standards and it is not considered a known health related issue, the report stated that The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers currently recommends that CO2 levels be maintained below 1,000 parts per million. Vortex, Inc. recommended opening windows, lowering heat or a combination of both to reduce CO2 levels. Ventilation issues will also be discussed with engineers as part of the proposed Energy Performance Contract.
The Vortex report can be read on the facilities website or can be viewed by appointment in the Office of Facilities Management.