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Source: Pittsburgh Post-GazetteAug.新蒲崗迷你倉 19--Before McKeesport Area School District became involved with the Healthy Schools Collaboration, high school science teacher Marla Hayes had already implemented a school recycling program."We have been doing things. [The collaboration] is going to take it even further," said McKeesport Superintendent Timothy Gabauer.With just a few days before school begins, Ms. Hayes is preparing her classroom by de-cluttering it and considering natural cleaning solutions safe for children with allergies as part of the collaboration, set to make a difference this fall.The collaboration, funded by the Heinz Endowments, includes McKeesport and the Allegheny Valley School District, and it was started after a Heinz study recognized there are ways to improve school environments and enhance children's health in Western Pennsylvania schools.A group of school administrators and staff have been meeting with collaborators Andrew Ellsworth and Jenna Cramer to discuss changes since February 2012. Key concerns in environmental health involve air quality, lighting, acoustics, building materials, and exposure to chemicals, fragrances and contaminants.Because the school districts are "both in post-industrial and in some ways industrial communities," Mr. Ellsworth said, "regional air quality issues are definitely greater in the Mon Valley." He said that although finding environmentally challenged schools was key to the collaboration, their interest in setting up a partnership was equally important.Repairs to prevent water seepage and damage at the McKeesport high school are near completion, designed to reduce the growth of molds and other allergens. Also, a new elementary school, which will be designed to achieve a gold rating in LEED building certification -- one of the highest rankings for environmentally sustainable construction -- is scheduled to open in January 2014."Right now we are in a pilot phase, but we hope to continue our relationship with both of these districts and also potentially add more districts," Mr. Ellsworth said. "It's a slow process, and we want to make sure they are doing it in a way that accommodates their own needs and their own limitations."Other planned child health-friendly changes include:--Keeping air vents clear of textbooks or other materials to improve ventilation."The more things you stack up, the more dust gets into the room that can cause more allergies for students," Ms. Hayes said. Dust mites and mold spores are among the most common triggers of allergy and asthma symptoms.--Giving staff checklists that name safer brands of items used on an everyday basis, such as hand sanitizer or wipes.--Using natural and simple cleaning products such as baking soda and water as well as vinegar and water. Both would work as a disinfectant, without exposing students to chemicals in cleaning agents."It's probably something I would push on the entire staff and not just myself," Ms. Hayes said.--Usimini storageg lemon in water with vanilla extract and sage to cure a smelly science classroom instead of burning a candle, Ms. Hayes said.--Implementing a non-idling policy for truck drivers. Signs asking drivers to turn off their engines near the school have already been put up as to eliminate any carbon monoxide that could potentially be taken in by a rooftop vent, said Ed Fagan, McKees-port director of buildings and grounds.--Shutting windows when the lawn is being cut during school session. Grass and tree pollens often cause problems for children with allergies.--Minimizing insecticide spray by catching the problem at the source. An outdoor pest control vendor inspects the schools twice a week or more if needed. A 72-hour notice is posted before any type of insecticide is sprayed, and it is often done in the evenings and on Saturdays if necessary."We will never spray any "type of insecticides on our grounds if it's a windy day," Mr. Fagan said. "You don't want to have any type of airborne chemical moving from point A to point B."In the homeAlthough pesticides may be a problem -- especially for children -- in countries such as India where it is easier to use stronger chemicals such as organophosphates, in the United States, pesticides as well as general home cleaning products are safe, according to Michael Lynch, medical director at the Pittsburgh Poison Center.In the past year, the center received 105,000 calls, and 88 of them were regarding children 12 and younger with some type of pesticide or related exposure.Dr. Lynch said none of them had more than a minor case of skin irritation.In the past, the primary chemical used as a pesticide was permethrin, but it was found to cause allergic reactions such as itching and wheezing. Because of this, a safer synthetic chemical pyrethroid is now used, he said."Safety concerns have allowed for innovations that have become so safe that we don't see a lot of those types of major toxicities like we used to," he said."We also allow Orkin [pest control] to spray in my house, and I'm not worried about my dog or my children."He said that although the center receives calls from people reporting symptoms related to cleaning supplies, "a lot of that has to do with hypersensitivity and allergic-type reaction irritations" from the chemical's potent smell, which can cause irritation to the mucus membranes."A lot of people try to make lots of associations with various chemicals or metals with long-term health effects, and those associations are fraught with danger and imprecision, which isn't to say that they don't exist. It's more to say it's hard to prove that they do or don't," he said.For any concern about poison exposure, even if it may not seem to be serious, call the Pittsburgh Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222.Marina Weis: health@post-gazette.com.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at .post-gazette.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesself storage