April 1, 2009
 
EPA to Monitor Air Quality in Cabell County
 
Special to Huntingtonnews.net
From a Cabell Board of Education Press Release
 
In response to an article published late last year in USA Today regarding the air quality surrounding the nation’s schools, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will soon begin an air quality monitoring initiative in Huntington’s east end. Several schools in that part of the city, as well as schools in all other sections of Huntington, were identified by the USA Today report as being located in areas of poor outdoor air quality.
 
“The study actually has very little to do with the air quality of the schools themselves,” says William Smith, Superintendent of Cabell County Schools. “We are all living, working, and worshipping in this community and the quality of the air affects each one of us equally. We happen to live in a heavily industrialized are a, and it is not totally unexpected that the outdoor air quality would be affected by that.”
 
Smith says while there is very little schools can do about the outdoor pollutants that have been identified in the report, he emphasizes the Cabell County school system takes proactive measures to reduce impact on its buildings’ indoor air quality.
 
“In our larger schools, we contract with a company to replace air filters monthly and in our smaller schools, custodians replace the filters,” says Smith. “As we modernize our schools, we are replacing outdated HVAC systems with systems that can more thoroughly eliminate particulates of pollution. The air quality inside our schools is generally much better than that just outside the doors.”
 
Cabell County is cooperating with the EPA study by allowing a collection device to be placed in the coming weeks at the Career Technology Center. It is the understanding of school system leaders that the EPA will then use data collected to ensure area industries are in compliance with EPA regulations for pollution control.
 
The attached document was supplied by the EPA to answer common questions about the air quality testing initiative



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