This includes the training of minority contractors and community residents on lead abatement and the establishment of a two-year degree program in environmental management. EPA is building The New England Urban Environmental Infrastructure , including the establishment of a New England-wide forum for all public and private constituencies to address urban environmental policy issues. This network will offer accessible information to the public through an annual conference, periodic meetings and hopefully a consortium of academic institutions, including local community colleges. As a first step, EPA is holding a series of roundtable discussions throughout the spring and summer in eight cities throughout New England that will engage public and private constituencies in discussions of pressing environmental issues. A New England- wide conference in Hartford is being planned for late September 1996.
Most people are aware that outdoor air pollution can damage their health.
Many people, though, do not know that indoor air pollution can also cause significant health effects. EPA studies of human exposure to air pollutants indicate that indoor levels of pollutants may be two to five times higher than outdoor levels. Pesticides, volatile organic compounds, and environmental tobacco smoke are also sometimes found in poor indoor air quality and can pose a risk to people's health. Long term exposure to these additional three pollutants could lead to the development of cancer and other chronic diseases in humans. Certain volatile organic compounds such as benzene and formaldehyde are considered carcinogenic by EPA, and these two compounds can be found in common building materials and household products as well as in tobacco smoke.