healthy iaq measures in residential settings october5,2010

What is Healthy Housing?

• Dry

• Pest-Free

• Clean

• Safe

• Contaminant Free

• Ventilated

• Maintained

Today’s Agenda

• Asthma

• Carbon monoxide poisoning

• Smoke-Free Housing

• Radon

Asthma in Maine

(BRFSS Data)

•Maine has the 3rd highest

adult current asthma rate in the

US at 10.3%. Nat’l avg. 8.5%

•Maine’s current child asthma

rate is 9.4%. Nat’l avg. 9%.

•In 2000, Maine’s current adult

asthma rate was 8.9% - highest

in the US. Nat’l avg. 7.2%.

Indoor Environmental Asthma Triggers

•Oil & Wood heat– ME has the highest rate of

oil heated homes in the Country

•Old Homes = dust and mold

•Cockroaches & Pests

•Pets: fur, hair & dander

•Secondhand smoke

•Other - idiopathic

Reduce the # of school/work days missed due to asthma.

Reduce the # of ED visits due to asthma. Reduce the # of hospitalizations due to asthma. Increase the proportion of persons with asthma

who receive formal patient education. Establish a surveillance tracking system for

asthma.

Healthy Maine 2010

Asthma Objectives

Asthma Action Plan

Secondhand Smoke & Asthma

•Children exposed to SHS in the home are

44% more likely to suffer from asthma.

•SHS can trigger asthma episodes and

increase the severity of attacks.

•SHS is a risk factor for new cases of asthma

in preschool aged children who have not

already exhibited asthma symptoms.

•Many of the health effects of SHS, including

asthma, are most clearly seen in children

because children are most vulnerable to its

effects.

Secondhand Smoke is Deadly

• Surgeon General says there is NO safe level of

exposure. SHS is a Group A carcinogen– a

substance known to cause cancer in humans

for which there is no safe level of exposure.

• No ventilation system is effective in removal of

toxins ~ up to 65% air exchange between units.

• Just as deadly than vehicle exhaust, arsenic,

lead, asbestos and a host of other toxins.

Smoke-Free Policies…crucial to a Healthy

Home

• Take a pledge to not smoke in your home or car.

• Never let caregivers smoke in or around your children.

• Create smoke-free policies for all your properties.

•HUD and MaineHousing support smoke-free policies.

•It saves you time and money.

•You have resources to help www.smokefreeforme.org

Successes in Smoke-Free Environments

o No smoking in Foster Homes

o No smoking in cars with children under 16

o State Beaches

oAll indoor public places

o School grounds- 365/24/7

o18 of 20 Public Housing Authorities & 44% of

private multi-unit landlords

o Outdoor dining

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

ED Visits 2003-2006 Detectors - 2004

How Mainers get Poisoned

• 49% Poisoned at home, 10% at work

• 35% Poisoned from exhaust

• 19% poisoned from generator

• 13% each from furnace or propane fridge

• 60% of those poisoned by exhaust were

poisoned in garage or barn

Sex Differences (2002-2006)

CO Detectors

• Battery powered or battery backup

• Change batteries at Daylight Savings Time

• Maintain combustion sources and chimneys

• New Law: Maine Requires CO Detectors in

Apartments and new renovations

Success stories

• Family of 7 woken up by CO alarm. Faulty

propane stove.

• Residents evacuated from Apt. building. Faulty

propane furnace vent.

Resources

Radon in Maine

50%Of Maine homes

may have indoor air levels

of radon above 2 pCi/L

30%Of Maine homes report

that they have tested their

indoor air for radon

Magnitude of the risk – what is safe?

less cancer risk more

MTBE

3 in a million

PERC

5 in a million

Chlordane

70 in a million

Radon in Water

3 in a thousand

Radon in Air

2 pCi/L

1 in a hundred

to

1 in a thousand

Resources

www.maineradiationcontrol.org – click on radon

Machais – April 5th

Presque Isle – April 6th

Auburn – April 12th

Waterville – April 13th

These daylong health homes trainings are funded by the Maine Asthma Program

Contacts

Eric Frohmberg – 287-8141

www.maine.gov/dhhs/eohp/air/co.htm

Fire Marshall’s Office - 626-3873

www.maine.gov/dps/fmo/index.htm

Sarah Mayberry– 874.8774

breathe.easy.maine@gmail.com

www.smokefreeforme.org

Maine Radon Program – 800-232-0842

http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/eng/rad/Radon/hp_radon.htm

Maine Asthma Program – Jim Braddick - 287-7302

http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/bohdcfh/mat/