EPA's School Indoor Air Quality Newsletter - Back-to-School Edition

View as a webpage / Share EPA's School Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Newsletter Back-to-School Edition As teachers ready their classrooms for a new year and students return to school, it is also the perfect time to make sure your school is maintaining a strong indoor air quality management program to protect student health. EPA recently published an interactive graphic – pictured above – that highlights common IAQ challenges in schools and offers practical solutions to address them. Take the school IAQ tour and share this resource with school staff and leadership to help introduce the importance of maintaining healthy indoor air. Keep reading for the latest school IAQ resources from EPA and its partners. EPA resources EPA updates its Sensible Steps to Healthier School Environments EPA recently published an update to its Sensible Steps to Healthier School Environments resource. This guidance addresses many of the most common environmental health concerns found in schools and outlines practical, low- or no-cost measures to help prevent, reduce, and resolve these hazards. The updated resource addresses issues such as: IAQ, mold, and asthma triggers. Lead in drinking water and lead-based paint.  Chemical and pesticide management.  Wildfire smoke and UV exposure. Waste reduction, and more! EPA Air Quality Outreach Program at Shinnecock Boys and Girls Club in Shinnecock Indian Nation Territory on May 7, 2026. Air quality education for children in EPA Region 2 This May, staff in EPA’s Region 2 office visited children at the Shinnecock Boys and Girls Club and PS 596x elementary school in New York to teach them about indoor and outdoor air quality. The students explored “Why is Coco Orange?”, EPA’s children’s book about air quality and asthma. EPA then introduced the Air Quality Index chart, the tool used to communicate air quality levels of concern. Because children are more vulnerable to air pollution, they are classified as a “sensitive group” on the chart. EPA staff then demonstrated how to check the IAQ using an air sensor and how to check outdoor conditions using AirNow.gov. To reinforce the lesson, students created their own air quality index flags and discussed what each flag color represents. EPA grantee resources To learn more about EPA’s school IAQ grantees and how they can support your school, you can view the May 13 webinar recording, “Better Air, Better Schools: Programs, Resources, and Grants You Can Use.” Learn more about the IAQ Tools for Schools guidance and access other valuable school environmental health resources at www.epa.gov/iaq-schools. If you have questions about the IAQ Tools for Schools guidance, please contact iaqschools@epa.gov. Learn more about Indoor Air Quality.

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EPA Releases Glyphosate Human Health Open Literature Search Document for Public Feedback

EPA has released for public comment the results of a comprehensive open literature search to inform a forthcoming glyphosate risk assessment

View as a webpage / Share Pesticide Update EPA Releases Glyphosate Human Health Open Literature Search Document for Public Feedback August 25, 2026 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released for public comment the results of a comprehensive open literature search to inform a forthcoming glyphosate human health risk assessment document. As part of its pesticide reevaluation process, called registration review, EPA is reevaluating glyphosate to ensure that it continues to meet the statutory standard for registration as scientific data evolves. Because of the large and growing body of publicly available research, EPA routinely conducts open literature searches to identify, screen, assess, and incorporate relevant peer-reviewed studies. The agency also reviews open literature submitted during public comment periods. This document describes the systematic review procedure and presents a comprehensive list of the studies EPA has identified, including the most recent search, which captures publications since EPA's last open literature review in 2017. EPA will use additional, relevant studies to inform the upcoming human health risk assessment which includes potential dietary risks associated with residues in food and water. The risk assessment is scheduled for completion in late 2026, which EPA will then release for public comment. Because EPA relies on gold-standard science, the agency asks that commenters provide the complete study and its underlying data, or clear information on how to obtain them, so each study can be evaluated for quality, reproducibility, and other factors. When submitting a study, please include the full citation — author(s), date of publication, journal title, and article title. This comment period is focused specifically on identifying peer-reviewed, gold-standard studies EPA may consider moving forward. When EPA releases the updated human health risk assessment, the public will have a further opportunity to comment on the agency's evaluation of the science and its conclusions. At this time, EPA encourages stakeholders to provide specific studies beyond those identified in the summary document for potential consideration. The open literature review is available for a 30-day public comment period in docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0361.Comments must be submitted at regulations.gov by September 24, 2026. Learn more about EPA's review of glyphosate. Learn more about Children's Health and Healthy School Environments.

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EPA Releases New Guidance to Reduce Lead Exposure in Drinking Water, Protect American Children

Today, EPA released guidance to help drinking water systems that are working to keep their communities safe from lead.

View as a webpage / Share News Release EPA Releases New Guidance to Reduce Lead Exposure in Drinking Water, Protect American Children August 21, 2026 | Contact EPA's Press Office (press@epa.gov) WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released guidance to help drinking water systems that are working to keep their communities safe from lead. This guidance advances the agency’s commitment to clear and plain language communication while sharing information, definitions, and useful examples to help water systems comply with lead pipe replacement requirements of the Lead and Copper Rule. Reducing exposure to lead—a powerful neurotoxin that is especially dangerous to children—advances the Trump EPA’s commitment to Making America Healthy Again. “The agency’s efforts to reduce lead in drinking water started under the first Trump Administration and continue today under Administrator Zeldin’s leadership,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Jess Kramer. “EPA is committed to supporting local water systems as they identify and remove lead pipes. Today, we are providing practical, clear, and plain language guidance clarifying existing federal requirements. This action complements federal funding and technical assistance in a holistic approach.”    EPA is releasing two documents, Access Tips and Service Line Inventory Tips, to provide practical information to help water systems and states implement the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI). In April 2026, EPA sought the public’s input on these two Tips documents and EPA considered the comments received in the development of these final resources. EPA is taking on lead in drinking water holistically, including prioritizing collaboration, practical implementation, and communication. The agency recently published a revamped lead website, found at epa.gov/lead, including a new StoryMap about Lead and Children’s Health. The streamlined website allows parents and caregivers, contractors, health care professionals, and other users to quickly find critical information on how to prevent exposures from lead. This is one of many actions being undertaken by EPA under the government-wide Federal Lead Action Plan, which was launched in President Trump’s first term as a blueprint for reducing lead exposure through collaboration among federal agencies.   Releasing this new resource is yet another example of the Trump EPA working to ensure that all Americans can rely on clean and safe drinking water. They complement the agency’s robust technical assistance effort – Real Water TA. Real Water TA focuses on hands on assistance for communities and water systems working to address water infrastructure challenges or funding needs. EPA also supports state and local efforts to upgrade and maintain water infrastructure with funding opportunities. This year, EPA announced nearly $3 billion in funding for lead pipe identification and removal.  Background There is no safe level of lead. Lead pipes, when present, are the primary source of lead in drinking water. EPA is committed to using every tool available to protect all Americans from lead in drinking water. The 2024 Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) builds on the strong foundation of the first Trump Administration’s 2021 Lead and Copper Rule Revisions to achieve this goal. First promulgated in 1991, the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) regulates lead and copper in public drinking water systems.   Read the press release Learn more about Children's Health and Healthy School Environments.

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