The Modular Building Institute ("MBI" or the "Association") and its member companies are dedicated to the manufacture and maintenance of high quality, functionally sound factory built structures. An important component of this dedication is the selection of building materials and systems to optimize indoor air quality. The MBI's efforts are primarily focused on the education of factory built building manufacturers and dealers, the users of the buildings and the public at large.

Indoor Air Quality is a complex issue that is integral to all forms of construction. Since the energy crisis of the early seventies, designers and contractors have attempted to construct tighter buildings in an effort to reduce air infiltration and improve energy usage. This practice has resulted in a building environment that is more susceptible to indoor air pollutants.

Factory built buildings are manufactured in accordance with the same national model building codes that govern site built construction. A rigid quality assurance program overseen by state inspectors makes sure designers, plan reviewers and manufacturers adhere to the requirements of the building codes. The Modular Building Institute is firmly committed to the research and development of building designs and material usage that reduce any health threat posed by indoor air pollutants.

Since indoor air quality is a complex issue, the MBI has looked to the vast resources of the United States Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") as the primary source of information. Several divisions of the EPA have produced excellent materials on the subject of indoor air quality. Set forth hereinafter is a list of publications available from the EPA.

• Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools (EPA 402-K-95-001)
• Indoor Air Quality Basics for Schools (EPA-402-F-96-004)
• An Office Building Occupant's Guide to Indoor Air Quality (EPA-402-K-97-003)
• Indoor Air Pollution - An Introduction for Health Professionals (USGPO 1994-523-217/81322)
• Indoor Air Facts No. 4 - Sick Building Syndrome (EPA-402-F-94-004)
• Building Air Quality (EPA-400-1-91/033; Pub. No. 91-114)
• Building Air Quality, Action Plan (EPA-402-K-98-001; Pub. No. 98-123)

Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools shows schools how to carry out a practical plan of action to prevent and resolve indoor air problems at little or no cost using straightforward activities and in-house staff. Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools is co-sponsored by the National PTA, National Education Association, Council for American Private Education, Association of School Business Officials, American Federation of Teachers and the American Lung Association.

Each school day, one in five Americans occupies a school building. For these people, IAQ Tools for Schools offers sound guidance that gives school officials the ability to improve indoor air quality and create a healthier environment for children and staff. Good indoor air quality can contribute to a favorable learning environment for children and better productivity for teachers and staff. As each day passes, the 110,000 kindergarten through twelfth grade schools in the U.S. are spending increasing amounts of their limited resources in attempts to fix real or perceived indoor air quality problems. A recent report* by the U.S. Government Accounting Office, the Condition of America's Schools, notes that over half of the schools surveyed reported at least one environmental problem which affects indoor air quality. The voluntary guidance in Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools can save schools time and money so that attention can be directed to educating children.

EPA's new action kit includes checklists for all school employees, a flexible step-by-step guide for coordinating the checklists, an Indoor Air Quality Problem Solving Wheel, a factsheet on indoor air pollution issues, and sample policies and memos. "Teachers, education support and other school support staff have a lot to think about," says Keith Geiger, President of the National Education Association. "That is why this kit is so fantastic, it does so much of the thinking for you." In addition to the kit, the EPA, in conjunction with the cast and crew of the popular television series This Old House, has produced a short video about how to properly operate and maintain ventilation systems in schools.

For more information please visit the EPA's Indoor Air Quality Website: