• The Problem Defined
• Government Standards
• Improving Indoor Air Quality
• Ventilation Problems In Closed Schools
• Ventilation Problems in Schools With Windows
• Temperature and Relative Humidity
• Copying Equipment
• Pesticides
• Vocational and Art Classes
• Science Rooms and Laboratories
• Air Quality During Renovation Work
• Coal-Fueled Boilers
• Pollution From Outside Sources
• Resolving Indoor Air Quality Problems

Coal-Fueled Boilers

What about coal-fueled boilers? I heard the DOE has been replacing them.

The last coal-burning boiler was removed in 2001 – a signal achievement for the UFT campaign that brought the issue to public attention. Since 1988 the DOE replaced 353 coal-burning boilers and furnaces with cleaner, cheaper and more efficient ones that can burn either natural gas or oil.

The transition from coal to gas also will improve air quality in New York City by eliminating noxious irritants and particulates that can aggravate respiration. It also will contribute to a national effort to reduce acid rain.

Don’t all boilers produce air contaminants?

Yes, but since they are vented into the outside air through a chimney far above street level, there generally is no direct exposure for school building occupants. The switch from the most polluting fuel — coal – to the cleanest — natural gas — will help make the city’s air cleaner.

POLLUTION FROM OUTSIDE SOURCES

In my school, we periodically smell combustiontype fumes in one area of the building. Does this mean there is something wrong with our boiler?

The presence of combustion-type odors may not always indicate a boiler problem. it depends on how widespread they are or how long they are present. If there were a leak in the boiler seal — a rare but hazardous situation — building occupants might detect a strong odor and the odor would be more pronounced in the basement and lower floors and would gradually make its way up to other parts of the building. The custodian would probably be the first to notice the problem and would shut down the boiler until repairs could be made.

In some schools, however —particularly those built in a “U” shape — staff may sporadically smell fumes in rooms facing the interior courtyard. This may occur when a temperature inversion or change in wind direction causes waste gases exiting the school chimney to be pushed back into the courtyard. Although the concentration of waste gases may be sufficient to produce a noticeable odor, most people experience no health effects from such short-term exposure. Even very low levels of sulfur dioxide, however, may affect asthmatics, people with other respiratory problems and those with multiple chemical sensitivity.

Are there any other situations in which we might smell boiler fumes in our building?

If the air intake vents in a school with a mechanical ventilation system are located too close to the boiler exhaust, combustion waste gases may be drawn into the system and circulated throughout the school. This problem can be corrected by repositioning the vents or by changing the height of the boiler exhaust.

Periodically we detect the smell of oil inside our school during oil deliveries. Can anything be done about this?

Let the chapter leader know so that this can be brought to the attention of the custodian. The custodian can submit a work order to relocate the vent pipes or change the oil delivery schedule.

Can pollution from outdoor sources be a problem inside school buildings?

Yes. In schools with mechanical ventilation systems, the intake vents for outside air sometimes are located too close to a source of motor vehicle exhaust, like a bus loading area. In such cases the intake vents need to be repositioned.

If outside (non-school) construction or a local factory or other facility in the area appears to be polluting the air, the union can notify the Department of Environmental Protection to investigate.

RESOLVING INDOOR AIR
QUALITY PROBLEMS

We think there is an air quality problem in our school. What can we do?

The first thing is to ask your UFT chapter leader to consult the principal and custodian to determine if they are aware of the problem and can do anything to resolve it. Even if the custodian can’t solve the problem, he or she may be able to help you identify the sources of air contamination in the school.

Your UFT chapter leader or principal can contact the Department of Education’s Office of Occupational Safety and Health. The office may ask school staff to fill out logs that record the dates and times when they are disturbed by unusual odors or experience health symptoms that may be associated with air pollution. Such logs can be very helpful in identifying the sources of the problem.

We have already talked to our principal, the custodian and the Department of Education, but nothing has been done to address the air quality problems in our school. Can the UFT help?

When a school appears to have significant air quality problems that cannot be remedied at the school level, your chapter leader can notify your district representative who will, in turn, contact the UFT Health and Safety Committee. The committee performs an initial investigation and, if warranted, can send the union’s industrial hygienists to inspect the school, identify problems and take air quality measurements if necessary.

Often the union’s industrial hygienists can recommend relatively low-cost measures to improve the air quality in the school. These might include eliminating water-damaged materials that may contain molds and are causing allergy symptoms; clearing blocked return air vents; or moving photocopy equipment to a location with better ventilation. More expensive repairs might include installation of new local exhaust equipment in a vocational classroom or ductwork to improve air circulation in subdivided classrooms.

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