You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.

Good day, Shortwaveers. Aaron Scott here.

As we've talked about many times on the show,

the COVID pandemic has highlighted just how much the air we breathe matters.

And science correspondent Maria Godoy is here to talk to us today about air

in a very important type of building.

Hey, Aaron, welcome to the Science Desk.

Thank you so much, Maria. It's a joy to get to talk to you.

What I like was, and you know, your right air quality is really important in schools.

I actually want to start this episode by handing the metaphorical mic to Tracy Washington Anger.

She says, actually, the pandemic has made her job easier.

You know, it is such a hallelujah moment. Absolutely.

A pandemic hallelujah. I will raise my hands up to that.

So what is she talking about?

Anger works at the Environmental Protection Agency's indoor environments division.

For more than 25 years, she's been fighting to improve the air quality inside of America's schools.

She's very deeply passionate about the issue.

She says the benefits of better air quality are well documented and substantial.

One of the things that has been a real mission for us has been to help schools recognize

that creating healthy learning environment is really connected to help spend academic performance.

You know, America schools are really old.

There was a 2013 survey that found even back then the average school building was constructed more than 40 years earlier.

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