From Name
Field, R W

 
 For
Immediate Release
 
Media Contact: Phillip
Dodge, 443-539-4168, pdodge@nchh.org
 
New Study Shows Housing
Improvements Benefit Health
 
National Center for Healthy
Housing Releases First Scientific Evaluation of Healthy Homes Interventions
 
Washington, DC. (January 12,
2009)—The National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) recently completed the
first U.S. scientific review of healthy homes interventions. The results are
available in a new report titled Housing Interventions and Health: A Review
of the Evidence.
 
With funding from the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NCHH convened more than 30 of the
nation’s leading housing and health experts to document the housing and
neighborhood improvements (interventions) that are scientifically proven to
improve health and safety. The resulting report also identifies the housing
interventions that require additional research.
 
“The places people live have
a profound impact on health and well-being. To protect families, we need to
know what changes we can make to homes and neighborhoods that will demonstrably
improve health. This report helps close that gap,” said Rebecca Morley, NCHH executive
director.
Mary Jean Brown, Chief of
the CDC’s Lead Poisoning Prevention and Healthy Housing Branch adds "This
report is a key element in our efforts to promote scientifically sound housing
interventions that improve health.”
 
The experts reviewed more
than 170 scientific studies of housing interventions that improve asthma and
respiratory problems, cancer, injuries, and other health concerns. A few of the
interventions determined ready for broad-scale implementation include:
                   
Lead hazard control to prevent lead poisoning
                   
Integrated pest management (IPM) to reduce asthma and pesticide
exposure
                   
Comprehensive and tailored home-based asthma interventions
                   
Active sub-slab depressurization to reduce lung-cancer from radon
gas
                   
Smoke alarm installations to prevent injuries and death from
residential fires
 
To view the full report,
please go to: www.nchh.org/Housing_Interventions_and_Health.pdf.
 
 
 
 
 
 
###
The National Center for Healthy Housing
(NCHH) is the only national scientific and technical non-profit organization
dedicated to creating healthy and safe homes for America’s children through
practical and proven steps. NCHH develops scientifically valid and practical
strategies to make homes safe from hazards, to alert low- income families about
housing-related health risks, and to help them protect their children.
1
Table 1. Summary of Intervention Findings Panel
Sufficient Evidence
Needs More Field
Evaluation
Needs Formative
Research
No Evidence or
Ineffective
Panel 1: Interior
Biological Agents (Toxins)
 
                   
Multi-faceted tailored asthma
interventions
                   
Integrated Pest Management (allergen
reduction)
                   
Moisture intrusion elimination
 
 
                   
Dehumidification
                   
General & local exhaust ventilation
(kitchens & baths)
                   
Air cleaners (to reduce asthma)
                   
Dry steam cleaning
                   
Vacuuming
 
 
                   
Carpet treatments
                   
One-time professional cleaning
                   
Acaracides
 
 
                   
Bedding encasement alone
                   
Sheet washing alone
                   
Upholstery cleaning alone
                   
Air cleaners releasing ozone
 
Panel 2: Interior
Chemical Agents (Toxics)
 
                   
Radon air mitigation through active
subslab depressurization
                   
Integrated Pest Management (pesticide
reduction)
                   
Smoking bans
                   
Lead hazard control
 
 
                   
Radon mitigation in drinking water
                   
Portable HEPA air cleaners to reduce
particulate
                   
Attached garage sealing to limit VOC
intrusion
                   
Particulate control by envelope
sealing
 
 
                   
Radon air mitigation using passive
systems
                   
Improved residential ventilation
                   
VOC avoidance
 
 
                   
Portable HEPA air cleaners to reduce
environmental tobacco smoke and formaldehyde
                   
Air cleaners using or releasing ozone
                   
Single professional cleaning to reduce
long-term lead exposure
 
Panel 3: External
Exposures (Drinking water & waste treatment)
 
                   
Voluntary drinking & wastewater
treatment standards for small systems & private wells
                   
Training for small system personnel
                   
Guidelines for immuno-compromised
individuals
 
 
                   
UV and other filtration point of use
systems
                   
Location of privies and failed drinking
water and wastewater systems
 
 
                   
Training for planners and zoning
officials
                   
Control of pharmaceuticals and
endocrine disruptors into drinking and wastewater systems
                   
DNA analysis to track pathogen sources
                   
Surveillance studies to define system
failures
 
 
                   
UV/point of filtration research for
systems that already comply with standards
 
 
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