Pop Quiz #2

Studio Air Testing

Long Term Damage

Safe Studio Checklist

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Toxins in Detail

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• No chemicals (cleaners, paints, etc) stored in studio, studio closets or studio cabinets
• No pesticides, ever
• No carpet on floors or walls in any room (tile, hardwood, or linoleum only)
• No vinyl / marley dance floors (hardwood or true linoleum only)
• Only low emitting hardwoods or low VOC external grade plywood for all layers of floor
• Only low VOC or no VOC paints, stains, building materials, and adhesives
• Costumes, props and scenery stored off-site
• No painting or gluing of props, costumes, or crafts within studio, near doors, windows, or HVAC intake
• Dress code:  no decorated dancewear.  Prohibit words, logos, and images on clothing (PVC based screen printing inks) and no glued-on decorations
• No perfume, hair sprays or scented cosmetics allowed on dancers or visitors
• No water leaks, no mold
• Annual HVAC service and regular HEPA filter change
• Demand Controlled Ventilation HVAC system (controlled by carbon dioxide sensors)
• VOC gas filter on HVAC system

Our guess?  Your studio has room for improvement.  Every thoughtful step taken to improve air quality will help dancers and studio employees in the long run.  A healthy studio could help attract new and returning students too!

DanceArt.com believes that studios need to eliminate indoor pollution sources based on the observation that most studios are built and operated from within retail and office spaces (like 'strip malls') that are not ventilated to support physical education classes or aerobic activities.  It also isn't hard to find custom built, stand-alone studios with completely inadequate ventilation systems.

If your studio is built to the Indoor Air Quality standards expected of a modern school gymnasium, complete with specially ventilated janitorial, office, and crafts areas, then this material will probably just be a refresher.  The rest of us have lots of work to do because people are getting sick or are avoiding studios and hurting business.  If your studio's HVAC system isn't fairly new, if it isn't using Demand Controlled Ventilation to limit carbon dioxide levels, if it isn't serviced frequently and if it isn't equipped with gas absorbing VOC filters then this article is for you.

You might be a dancer, parent, teacher, director, or studio owner.  In each case you'll hopefully gain a good understanding of how to make the improvements you need so we can all keep dancing for life.  Spread the word, use your dollars to encourage change, be respectful and be persistent.  We are going to highlight these very serious problems, show you ways to make repairs and to design better studios, and even show you how you might fund the changes.

Need to get the word out?  You may copy, post, and republish this article in its entirety as needed. 

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