IAQ Bill Proposed to Establish Nationwide Assessments in Schools

Last week, U.S. congressmen reintroduced legislation aimed at requiring a nationwide assessment of indoor air quality (IAQ) in schools and childcare facilities. It would also support the development of technical assistance, guidelines, and best practices to improve the IAQ conditions of schools and childcare facilities.

Specifically, the bill:

• Requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish and regularly update a list of significant indoor contaminants, and develop health-based, voluntary guidelines to reduce exposure risks to these contaminants.
• Directs EPA to develop or recognize one or more voluntary certifications for buildings designed, built, operated, and maintained to prevent or minimize indoor air health risks.
• Establishes a regularly updated national assessment of IAQ in schools and childcare facilities, and supports development of technical assistance, guidelines, and best practices to improve the IAQ conditions of these facilities. 

The Indoor Air Quality and Healthy Schools Act was first introduced in 2024 and was designed to update, expand, and codify the EPA’s Indoor Environments Division.

The EPA’s Science Advisory Board has consistently ranked poor IAQ as a top five environmental risk to public health, with over 3 million people globally dying prematurely each year from disease exposure caused by poor IAQ.

The legislation is supported by several groups, including the Allergy and Asthma Network; American Federation of Teachers; the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers; International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers; the International WELL Being Institute; John Hopkins Center for Health Security; and the U.S. Green Building Council.

For more information on the bill, click here.