![]() īeyond health, why does this issue matter? Only 16 states and the District of Columbia require safety audits of school facilities, according to an analysis from the Education Commission of the States. Schools will also need to maintain those detectors and ensure they have people who can fix any faulty systems, Roseman said.ĭistrict leaders can also ensure the school’s furnace or other fuel-burning sources are inspected regularly, said Claire Barnett, executive director for the Healthy Schools Network, a nonprofit that advocates for healthy school environments. ![]() “It’s definitely not nothing, but it’s hundreds of dollars-maybe $1,000-per school, not millions of dollars.”įor example, in a school district the size of Philadelphia, which has a budget of more than $3 billion, spending $1,000 per school for carbon monoxide monitoring “to save one life seems like it’s pretty cheap,” he said.Īs long as they’re installed in the right places-in areas with fuel-burning sources-the detectors will help prevent any severe cases of carbon monoxide poisoning. ![]() The approaches for preventing carbon monoxide leaks are often simple and inexpensive, according to experts.Ĭarbon monoxide monitoring equipment is not expensive, Roseman said. It’s not like there’s a boiler in every classroom.” What can schools do to prevent carbon monoxide leaks? Perhaps, that’s a reason for the lack of urgency, the feeling like it’s not a big deal. There are definitely leaks that affect kids. “Ideally, if there was a leak, it would just get exhausted out and it’s not going to impact much of the school at all,” Carter said. In a school, the boiler room is usually out of the way and has its own exhaust system. A leak in the boiler in the basement of a house will quickly travel throughout the whole house. Green Building Council’s Center for Green Schools. One reason why carbon monoxide detectors are frequently required in homes but not in schools could be that homes are smaller, said Hannah Carter, a school district environmental health project manager for nonprofit U.S. In 2018, only five states had those requirements, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. More states are updating their building codes to require detectors in new and existing school buildings and now at least 10 do so, according to the Environmental Law Institute. Some states-such as Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, and Missouri-leave it up to local governments to set those regulations. Regulations on carbon monoxide detectors are usually written into state building codes and are not enforced by departments of education. Schools that don’t have carbon monoxide detectors are most likely not required by state or local government to have those monitoring systems in place.įor example, Andrew O’Leary, the assistant superintendent of finance and operations for the New Bedford Public Schools in Massachusetts, said his district doesn’t currently have “an approach to carbon monoxide detection, and nor do the regulatory requirements we adhere to.”īut the district is reviewing “wearable detector options for custodial staff to ensure they can be deployed next school year.” Why do many schools lack carbon monoxide detectors? Exhaust from idling cars that enter school windows or doors can also be a source of carbon monoxide. It could also come from gas stoves in the cafeteria or in science or culinary arts classrooms. In schools, carbon monoxide could leak from worn or poorly maintained boilers or furnaces, or a malfunctioning flue (a duct or pipe to transport exhaust gas to the outdoors). How does carbon monoxide leak in school buildings? “This exposure often does not end up causing a large number of deaths, but it shouldn’t need that in order for anybody to take steps to address it anyway,” said Jerry Roseman, the director of environmental science and occupational safety and health for the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. For example, in October, six students and two adults were taken to a hospital for evaluation after a carbon monoxide leak was detected in a Kansas City, Mo., elementary school. But while these incidents appear to be rare, there were several reported cases of carbon monoxide poisoning in schools and day-care centers in 2022. There are no organizations that record how many carbon monoxide leaks happen in schools, experts said. ![]() That means that potentially thousands of school buildings don’t have detectors. ![]()
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