The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week announced the release of a new tool – HealthySEAT -- to help schools identify and prevent health, safety and environmental problems before they arise, building on the agency's voluntary school indoor air quality program.

Using a holistic approach to school health, EPA's new Healthy School Environments Assessment Tool (HealthySEAT) is a free software tool that school districts can customize to assess potential issues such as mold, asbestos and lead paint, then evaluate and manage information on conditions at each school.

HealthySEAT is voluntary and helps school districts track all of their environmental, health and safety information in a single database. The program includes a complete checklist of EPA recommendations and regulatory requirements on dozens of health and safety issues.

Schools can download a free copy of HealthySEAT and learn more, by visiting the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Program webpage.

1/13/2006