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U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko held a roundtable conversation about air quality in school buildings on Wednesday at Giffen Memorial Elementary School.

Giffen is one of a handful of local schools to benefit from a University at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú study of air quality funded by the EPA. There is a sensor inside the school measuring air quality, and there are outdoor sensors monitoring the surrounding South End neighborhood. UÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú started collecting data in August.

Tonko has introduced a bill in Congress giving the Environmental Protection Agency the authority and resources to regularly study indoor air quality in schools and child care facilities. The bill, , also supports development of technical assistance, guidance and best practices to improve indoor air quality in those places.

UÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú researcher Md. Aynul Bari took part in Wednesday’s discussion, which included Superintendent Joseph Hochreiter; Giffen parent Raquel Ortiz; district physician Laura Staff, MD; district health services coordinator Suzanne McCarthy; and teachers’ union president Laura Franz.

Also taking part in the roundtable were representatives from the Healthy Schools Network and New York State PTA, along with a researcher from RPI.

October is both National Children’s Health Month and National Healthy Lung Month.