Buildings and Infrastructure
Public Health

Fact Sheet | Buildings and Health

By

September 11, 2006

Table of Contents

    Highlights:

    Radon

    • In 1994, there were more than 70,000 schoolrooms with high short-term radon levels in use
    • EPA ranks indoor radon as one of the most serious environmental health problems
    • More than 20,000 Americans die each year from radon-related lung cancer

    Lead

    • “The number one environmental threat to the health of children in the United States.” – Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, 1991
    • Old lead-based paint is the most common source
    • Childhood exposures to lead can lead to problems such as reduced intelligence/cognitive development, ADHD, distractibility, higher drop-out rates, reading disabilities and delinquent behavior
    • here is no safe concentration of lead in the bloodstream
    • About 25% of all schools (1/3 of the oldest schools) were never renovated or renovated before limits were placed on the amount of lead in paint.


    Download the full fact sheet is available in .pdf format.