[Sqg-program] Children's Health Month 2006: Promoting Healthy School Environments

Perrigan, Glen Glen.Perrigan at dep.state.fl.us
Mon Sep 11 14:27:45 EDT 2006


To celebrate Children's Health Month 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency Office of Children's Health Protection and Environmental Education
(OCHPEE) is holding a series of webcasts on topics related to healthy school
environments. Listed below is one example of the web cast series.

Chemical Management in Schools
October 19: 2-3pm EDT

Schools use and manage a range of hazardous and toxic chemicals and products.
Classrooms, science laboratories, art studios, vocational shops, athletic
fields, maintenance facilities, boiler rooms, and storage closets are just a
few examples of where hazardous chemicals and products may be found. Often,
existing stocks of outdated, unknown, excessive, or unnecessarily hazardous
chemicals are present in schools. These chemicals can pose safety and health
risks to students and staff, and a number of widely reported incidents
involving such chemicals have resulted in school closures and costly
clean-ups. A Schools Chemical Cleanout and Prevention program insures that
excess, legacy, unused, and improperly stored chemicals are removed, and puts
mechanisms in place through which chemicals are purchased wisely, stored
safely, handled by trained personnel, used responsibly, and disposed of
properly. In addition, pesticide use can cause possible health hazards for
school occupants and contribute to environmental pollution. Integrated Pest
Management (IPM) is a safer, usually less costly option for effective pest
management in the school community. A school IPM program employs commonsense
strategies to reduce sources of food, water, and shelter for pests in school
buildings and grounds. 

This webcast will share two chemical management success stories*a schools
chemical cleanout campaign with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians in Alabama,
and the Monroe County, Indiana IPM Program. 

Visit http://yosemite.epa.gov/ochp/ochpweb.nsf/content/chm.htm to learn how
to sign up for a webcast.



 




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