A. Interesting Findings on Consumers of Organic Produce

    A recent study by John Stevens-Garmon et al. utilized Nielsen Homescan data from 2001 and 2004 to analyze consumer purchase patterns of fresh organic produce. Their findings seem to contradict the popular notion that organic produce is purchased primarily by Caucasians, but rather more than half the consumers are Asian and African American.  Also, they report households residing in the western region spent more on organic produce on a per capita basis than those residing in other regions. Contrary to popular opinion, they did not find any consistent positive association between household income and expenditures on organic produce.  The study also examined changes in premiums for certain organic produce from 2001 to 2004.  For example, the organic premium on oranges in 2004 was 9 percent above conventional produced carrots, whereas the organic premium for potatoes was 78 percent in 2001 and 2004. The top five most purchased organic vegetables in 2004 were: tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, onions, and lettuce. The top five most purchased organic fruits in 2004 were: apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, and strawberries.

    For more about this study, see the article in CHOICES: The Magazine of Food, Farm, and Resource Issues, 2nd Quarter 2007 - 22(2). Web site: http://www.choicesmagazine.org/2007-2/grabbag/2007-2-05.htm.

Submitted by Karen Perry Stillerman, Senior Analyst, Food & Environment Program, Union of Concerned Scientists

    B.  BACK TO SCHOOL Indoor Air Quality ALERT*

    The lack of maintenance and repairs is a major source of indoor air quality problem in many schools, but paint-up and fix-up projects can also cause poor indoor air quality.  The following cases illustrate this point. 

#1. A Nebraska parent wrote to Healthy Schools Network (www.healthyschools.org ) recently: "My 8th grade daughter's school underwent major renovations this summer, and as a consequence the building reeks of paint and glue.  After being inside for 15 minutes we developed headaches.  Worse yet, the building has no moving (operable) windows, and the construction is not complete.  School starts in 2 days, and I don't know if I can or should send her."

#2. A Massachusetts parent wrote to Healthy Kids: The Key to Basics  (www.healthy-kids.info)  "...Every September on the first day of school we are greeted ­with the heavy smell of fresh paint, cleaning solutions, ­ etc.  While I applaud the maintenance efforts certainly painting could be scheduled so the school would air out­ before school opens.  These smells permeate the building­ along with the usual heavy, humid and stale air associated­ with the summer.  During my daughter's second grade year she attended the first couple of days of school and missed the ­next two and a half weeks due to asthma -- the smell of­ paint was particularly strong that year....  

WHAT TO DO AT SCHOOL

    Most experienced parents and teachers know that sending kids back to school can lead to a sharp increase in common childhood illnesses and related symptoms such as a stuffy nose­, headaches, rashes, sore throat, red itchy eyes, restlessness, stomach aches, drowsiness, and serious asthma episodes.  These symptoms can be caused by unhealthy air in school.

    What can you do to prevent poor indoor air quality from making you or your child sick?

·         Visit your school. Are the renovations complete? Is the construction work (fumes, dust) cleaned up, aired out, or isolated from halls and classrooms?

·         Do a sniff test.  Be suspicious of harsh, musty, or odd odors.

·         Get a free online guide to "School Renovation and Construction: What you need to know to protect child and adult environmental health" from http://www.healthyschools.org/clearinghouse.html or get checklists from the fire department, National Safety ­Council, the National Parent-Teacher Association and local, state, and federal health ­agencies. 

·         Ask questions.  Don't be surprised if it requires some research to find out who is responsible for maintaining healthy conditions in your school. Ask for information about school air quality and voluntary programs such as the U.S. EPA Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Program.  What steps does your school take to ensure high quality indoor air? Many state laws now require regular audits of school conditions.  These school building inspection reports­ are available to parents, staff and other interested citizens on ­request.

·         Ask to see school district purchasing policies for art, science, cleaning and pest control supplies. Do they promote 'environmentally preferable purchasing' (nontoxic products) to protect students from hazardous chemicals?

·         Involve others. September is International School Safety Month and National Preparedness Month. It is a good time to involve parents, students and teachers in a school safety and­ injury prevention checkups.  Set up an "environmental health committee" for your school. Check for a healthy schools resource group nearest you at http://www.healthyschools.org/links.html.

·         Send your concerns or requests in writing to school administrators and the city or state health agency.  Keep a copy of your letter and share it with others.

·         Speak ­up.  Write letters and appear at school board and town meetings to let school administrators and town officials know that you care about healthy children and healthy/safe schools.

·         Keep the issue alive until the situation is remedied.  Your children and the community will thank you ­for it.  Write a letter to the editor and to the School Board to thank your school if the renovated school has good indoor air quality, good procedures in place, and is ready for full-time occupancy. Every school deserves a 'pat on the back' for a job well done!

QUICK TIP: Good indoor air quality depends on: 1) reducing/eliminating the use of toxic materials indoors; and 2) a supply of fresh air coming into school and an exhaust vent.  Look for the fresh air supply and the exhaust vents. Are they clean?  Are they working? Hint -- hold a paper ribbon or small tissue next to the vent. If the paper doesn't move, the air isn't moving.

    Ellie Goldberg, MEd, is the author of articles on healthy schools including "Clearing the Air in Schools" published in the National PTA Magazine, Our Children and "Guide to Protecting Vulnerable Students in Sick Schools" online at: http://www.healthyschools.org/clearinghouse.html.