Indoor Air Quality
Most people are aware that outdoor air pollution can impact their health, but indoor air pollution can also have significant and harmful health effects. Indoor levels of pollutants may be higher than outdoor levels. These levels of indoor air pollutants are of particular concern because most people spend about 90 percent of their time indoors.
Good IAQ contributes to a favourable environment for students, the performance of teachers and staff and a sense of comfort, health and well-being.
Radon
Radon is a colourless, odourless radioactive gas found naturally in the environment. It is produced by the natural breakdown of uranium commonly found in Ontario soils and rocks. The problem arises when too much radon accumulates inside a building (lower level) and becomes an indoor air quality issue and health hazard. Radon levels can vary significantly from hour to hour, day to day, and even more so from season to season. As a result, long-term tests are recommended for accurately estimating the annual radon concentration in a building.
Currently, no legislation governs testing the level of radon in homes or public buildings. Health Canada has published a Guide for Radon Measurements in Residential Dwellings (Health Canada 2017) and another Guide for Radon Measurements in Public Buildings (Health Canada 2016). The scope of the documents is limited to guidance regarding the measurement of radon and offers preventative options available for new homes.
Health Canada conducted radon testing across the country in approximately 14,000 homes. Their final report determined that approximately 7% of all homes across the country have radon levels above our national guideline of 200 Becquerels per cubic metre (Bq/m³). Health Canada’s report concluded that there are no areas of the country that are radon free. The report also concluded that the only way to know if a building has an elevated level of radon is to test, regardless of the location.
Designated Substances
The Occupational Health and Safety Act of Ontario (OHSA) allows for certain toxic substances to be especially designated. The OHSA defines a designated substance as “a biological, chemical, or physical agent or a combination thereof prescribed as a designated substance to which the exposure of a worker is prohibited, regulated, restricted, limited, or controlled”. Ontario Regulation 490/09 – Designated Substances (O.Reg. 490/09), made under the Occupational Health and Safety Act outlines required steps to control the exposure of workers to designated substances. Under O. Reg. 490/09 there are eleven (11) designated substances: acrylonitrile, arsenic, asbestos, benzene, coke oven emissions, ethylene oxide, isocyanates, lead, mercury, silica and vinyl chloride. This regulation applies to every employer and worker at a workplace where the designated substances are present, produced, processed, used, handled or stored and at which a worker is likely to be exposed to the designated substance.
Asbestos
Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that was used extensively in Ontario from about 1900 until the 1980s in the manufacture of construction and industrial products, mostly due to its characteristics of strength, heat resistance and chemical resistance. Asbestos Containing Materials (“ACM”) were also commonly used in building materials such as pipe and boiler insulation, texture finishes, floor and ceiling tiles, and spray applied for fireproofing and thermal insulation.
Asbestos fibres are a concern when they become airborne as a result of disturbance or deterioration.
A consultant was retained to complete the survey of each school/building and provide a report providing data related to ACM materials:
- MS Excel Database management as room-by-room sheets to identify room reference number, room name, construction materials (both ACM and non-ACM) of that room, sample type, sample ID numbers, whether or not ACM is present, condition of ACM.
- Table 1: Internal Abatement Management (summary of all ACM that has been identified as requiring annual monitoring or Type 1 Operations in accordance with O. Reg 278/05)
- Table 2: External Abatement Management (summary of all ACM that has been identified as requiring Type 2, Type 2 Glove Bag or Type 3 Operations in accordance with O. Reg 278/05)
- Table 3: Bulk Asbestos Sampling Summary (summary of bulk sample results, referencing sample number, location, material description and results).
- Detailed colour drawings (eg; floor plans) to show visually ACM materials on floor plans on 11×17.
Waste Management
The Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB), in partnership with the Region of Waterloo, collects organic and recyclable material at all of our schools.
The current waste management program aligns with the Region’s recycling and waste efforts with respect to source separation and collection methods. Along with the required receptacles, signage is provided to each school delineating the acceptable items that should be placed in the green cart (organics), blue box (recycling) and garbage.
Waste Audits
As required by Ontario Regulation 102/94 the WRDSB makes available online the results from its annual Waste Audits (one for elementary schools and one for secondary schools).
Waste Reduction
The 3Rs have changed their meaning from the days of the one-room schoolhouse. With the protection of the environment foremost on everyone’s mind today, we need to do our part for our children’s future. By practicing the 3Rs in school, we can guide the next generation toward environmental responsibility, divert waste and conserve resources all at once.
Hazardous Waste
The WRDSB is committed to the proper management of hazardous wastes. Proper management of waste will minimize the risks to students and staff, reduce the risk of release to the environment, and enable the Board to manage the costs of disposal.
The Board arranges for the pick-up, transport and disposal of hazardous waste/chemicals generated from the Board’s Secondary Schools. Hazardous materials should be disposed of if the product has expired, the product is no longer used, or the label is not legible.
