American Lung Association of the Plains receives $29,780 EPA Grant for Indoor Air Quality for Asthmatic Children in Kansas Program

Press release:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

11201 Renner Blvd., Lenexa, KS 66219

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations

American Lung Association of the Plains receives $29,780 EPA Grant for Indoor Air Quality for Asthmatic Children in Kansas Program

Contact Information: David Bryan, 913-551-7433, bryan.david@epa.gov

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., Oct. 11, 2012) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced that the American Lung Association of the Plains-Gulf Region, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, will receive $29,780 for their Indoor Air Quality for Asthmatic Children in Kansas program. The funding is part of a combined $1.2 million in funding to 32 state and local governments, tribes, and non-profit organizations for indoor air quality projects across the nation.

The Kansas project supports the identification and elimination of indoor asthma triggers to provide a better environment for asthmatic children and youth. The goal of the program is to educate the primary adults in an asthmatic child’s life. To accomplish this goal, adults will be educated on ways to provide an asthma-friendly home, school, children and medical care environments.

“EPA is proud to be working with our awardees across the nation to improve the air we breathe at school, work and home,” said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “American communities face serious health and environmental challenges from air pollution. This effort gives us an opportunity to improve indoor air quality by increasing awareness of environmental health risks.”

Indoor air pollutants in homes, buildings, and schools can negatively impact the health of occupants. Some pollutants cause health problems such as sore eyes, burning in the nose and throat, headaches or fatigue. Others can cause worsen allergies, respiratory illnesses (such as asthma) or even cancer (from radon gas).

The projects will help improve indoor air quality and reduce the associated health risks by: 

• Increasing effective indoor air quality practices through community-level education and outreach
• Promoting positive indoor air quality management practices in schools by working with school districts and teachers
• Increasing the number of homes tested for radon, homes built with radon-resistant features, and existing homes mitigated for radon
• Creating awareness to reduce asthma triggers in the home and encourage the use of asthma management plans through community-based asthma programs 

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