Health problems attributable to indoor environmental contaminants have become increasingly prominent in recent years, particularly asthma. During the 1990s, several environmental priorities projects were conducted in which indoor air ranked consistently high. The Maine Indoor Air Quality Council was formed as an outgrowth of the surveys, through a partnership involving the American Lung Association of Maine, the Maine Bureau of Health, and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. The Council was established in 1998 as an independent and non partisan 501c3 corporation. The Council's mission is to promote better quality of life and increased productivity through improved indoor environments. The presentation will focus on the development of the Council, particularly on the method by which it was formed as an interdisciplinary cooperative of professionals from the public, private, and non governmental sectors. It will describe the ways in which it has provided expertise in health, medical, engineering, architecture, and building operations to develop sound policy recommendations for best practice and educational programs. Chief accomplishments over the past two years have been 1) a collaboration with the Department of Education and the Maine Legislature to achieve significant indoor air quality renovations in approximately 20% of Maine's schools, and to develop facilities maintenance action plans for all schools, 2) a major conference on establishing a common protocol for medical and environmental assessment, 3) a public policy position on environmental tobacco smoke with a focus on source control, and 4) a needs assessment of technical and policy concerns related to residential environments.
Learning Objectives: Recognize the role of a non profit, volunteer based organization in addressing policy and educational concerns related to indoor air quality Identify major factors influencing indoor air quality in schools and other buildings, and how they can be improved. Recognize the need for a multi-disciplinary approach to preventing and solving indoor air problems
Keywords: Indoor Environment, Asthma
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Maine Indoor Air Quality Council
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.