HUNTINGTON -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will monitor air quality at five schools in the Tri-State for toxic air emissions.

The EPA will monitor air at the Cabell County Career Technology Center in Huntington for what it calls "metals in PM10," that is, toxic metals contained in particulate matter that is 10 micrometers in diameter or smaller, such as lead, nickel and manganese. Three other schools in West Virginia will be monitored: Neale Elementary in Vienna in Wood County and Follansbee Middle and Jefferson Primary schools in Brooke County.

The EPA will also monitor air at Whitwell Elementary School in Ironton for metals in PM10 and also for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and for volatile organic compounds such as benzene and vinyl chloride.

Charles Russell Elementary School, Crabbe School and Hatcher School, all in Ashland, will be monitored for the same materials as Whitwell Elementary. The three Ashland schools are the only ones in Kentucky in the program, while Whitwell is among six in Ohio on the EPA monitoring list. The others are in East Liverpool, Wauseon, Warren and Marietta.

According to a press release from Cabell County Schools, the monitors will be in place for 60 days to provide a snaphot of toxics in the outdoor air.

Cabell County is cooperating with the EPA study by allowing a collection device to be placed in the coming weeks at the Career Technology Center, the release said. It is the understanding of school system leaders that the EPA will then use data collected to ensure area industries are in compliance with EPA regulations for pollution control, the release said.

"The study actually has very little to do with the air quality of the schools themselves," William Smith, superintendent of Cabell County Schools, said in a press release. "We are all living, working, and worshipping in this community and the quality of the air affects each one of us equally. We happen to live in a heavily industrialized area, and it is not totally unexpected that the outdoor air quality would be affected by that."

Smith says while there is very little schools can do about the outdoor pollutants that have been identified in the report, he emphasizes the Cabell County school system takes proactive measures to reduce impact on its buildings' indoor air quality.

Nationally, the EPA is monitoring air at 62 schools in 22 states. The EPA says the monitoring will begin immediately.

The EPA says it selected schools after evaluating a number of factors, including results from an EPA computer modeling analysis, the mix of pollution sources near the schools, results from an analysis conducted for a recent newspaper series on air toxics at schools, and information from state and local air pollution agencies. The schools selected for monitoring include schools near large industries that are sources of air toxics, and some schools in urban areas, where emissions of air toxics come from a mix of large and small industries, cars, truck, buses and other sources.

More information is available at www.epa.gov/schoolair/.

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