KUOW: 'They Need To Go': The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms

...Those short-term fixes can lead to chronic problems. They burden schools with high energy costs and frequent maintenance needs. They expose students and teachers to mold and mildew, poor ventilation and the potential for volatile gases from cheap building materials...

...“If you can smell the humanity and taste the humidity, you know you have a ventilation issue,” Blake says.

Next comes a device that resembles a remote control and detects carbon dioxide (CO2) levels.

He runs a wire through what looks like a windsock and holds one end to the CO2 monitor, the other to the ceiling vent. The tool, which Prill sewed for him from a lampshade, funnels air directly into the device for a better reading.

Blake uses carbon dioxide as an indicator of whether enough fresh air passes through a room or if students are breathing germs, allergens and chemicals that accumulate in stagnant air. All of these trigger asthma — one of the leading causes of both school absences and child hospitalizations, Blake says.

When Blake started this work in 1995, Bellingham opened its doors to him first. It was a courageous move, he says. For most schools throughout Oregon and Washington — and the rest of the country — there is no Dave Blake. There is no ghostbuster to call...

http://kuow.org/post/they-need-go-environmental-and-health-costs-portable-classrooms