WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched a new mobile app to assist schools and school districts in performing comprehensive IAQ facility assessments to protect the health of children and school staff. EPA said the School IAQ Assessment app is a “one-stop shop” for accessing guidance from its IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit. 

“Kids learn best in a healthy school environment. Now there’s an app for that. This app puts a powerful tool in the hands of people at the state, district, and school level to protect children’s health” said Janet McCabe, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “This mobile app is our latest effort to provide updated, user-friendly guidance to help schools identify, resolve, and prevent indoor air quality problems, using low- and no-cost measures.”

EPA said the mobile app provides schools and school districts with an efficient technology integrated with proven strategies for addressing critical building-related environmental issues such as ventilation, cleaning and maintenance, environmental asthma triggers, radon, and integrated pest management. Schools that want to develop, sustain, or reinvigorate their IAQ management programs can use this tool to identify and prioritize IAQ improvements. The School IAQ Assessment app complements existing IAQ management programs and can become the central tracking mechanism schools and districts use to organize building assessments and prioritize IAQ improvements.

Download the app at www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/iaq_schools_mobile_app for your Apple or Android smart device. Access the How to Get Started section to review the set-up options, intent, and capabilities of the app.

Conduct an assessment by doing a walkthrough of school buildings using a set of easy-to-follow checklists — all you need is an Internet connection. Then, submit your completed checklists via email to a designated IAQ coordinator for review and follow-up action. You can also attach photos and detailed notes about the assessed area in your completed checklist submission.