Published: February 12, 2003
Minority Children Face Greater Threat from Pests, Mold and Lead in Their Own Homes
WASHINGTON,
DC - Minority children are far more likely to be exposed to the devastating
health effects of pests, mold and lead because of poor housing, according
to a report released Feb. 12 by the non-profit organization National Organization
of African Americans in Housing (NOAAH).
The report cites a lack of knowledge among residents and building owners
to the threats that pests, mold and lead pose; the physical neglect of
predominantly low-income areas; and residents' limited resources to solve
the problems as the reasons why minority children suffer more than others.
"Too many of our children are put at risk every day in their own
homes," said NOAAH Executive Director Kevin Marchman. "It's
time we all took steps now to make our children safe."
Even before the budget requests, NOAAH was concerned about those living
in low-income and public housing, Marchman said. As a result, NOAAH established
the Healthy Homes Initiative (HHI) task force in December 2001 to investigate
environmental hazards in residential and other urban buildings. The task
force brought together housing producers, regulators and financial experts
from NOAAH's membership to identify problems and offer solutions.
Here's a brief look at the findings and recommendations of the task force:
Pest
African-Americans and children continue to have higher rates of asthma-related
emergency room visits, hospitalizations and deaths, according to the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, a 2001 CDC study
noted that because minorities are disproportionately concentrated in housing
in poor condition, they suffer the most from pest-related health problems,
specifically those from cockroach allergens.
The report offers the following recommendations:
* Educate property management on the negative health effects associated
with pests in inner-city housing, emphasizing pest eradication and maintenance
* Require property managers to establish sanitation standards for common
areas and occupants
* Enforce established sanitation standards and codes
* Require property managers improve the exterior envelopes of buildings
to minimize pest entry
* Teach occupants of the health effects of pests in inner-city housing,
emphasizing high levels of sanitation and its value to effective pest
management.
Lead
Lead-based paint (LBP) hazards still pose a very real health concern for
millions of young children every day. While any child can be affected
by lead poisoning, it's still low-income and minority families who suffer
the consequences disproportionately. And unfortunately, it's these same
families who don't have the awareness or economic resources to eliminate
LBP hazards.
Elevated lead-levels in humans have been shown to cause lower IQ, reduced
attention span, learning disabilities, hyperactivity, and impaired hearing.
Severe poisoning can cause mental retardation, coma, convulsions or death.
The report offers the following recommendations:
* Expand U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) lead-based
poisoning rules, which require disclosure of testing data, hazard reduction
work and clearance sampling
* Improve blood-lead screening rates to help provide for early detection
* Create a local property inventory database to track properties where
children have been poisoned, or that have been demolished or significantly
rehabilitated
* Increase targeted building and health code enforcement in high-risk
communities
* Ensure the community and government officials understand the information
provided in LBP disclosure statements, while also including more specific
information of the location and potential risks of LBP.
Mold
Mold problems are difficult to quantify on a national level. But there
is evidence showing that it's a growing problem. For example, the Texas
Department of Insurance released data relating to the frequency of mold
claims during 2000 and the first half of 2001. There were 15,612 claims
reported during that 18-month period, with an average claim size of $17,713
-- for a total of $276.5 million in Texas alone. The claims in the first
two quarters of 2001 were reported to be 78 percent higher than all of
2000.
Mold invasion in homes is a known trigger of asthma, especially young
children. Unfortunately, low-income and inner-city families do not have
the economic ability to counter the destructive nature of mold.
The report offers the following recommendations:
* Develop overall guidelines for industry to remove the barriers inhibiting
implementation of correct removal and repair
* Develop mandatory operation and maintenance plans for apartment buildings,
condominiums and commercial buildings to establish criteria for handling
water intrusion and moisture issues
* Require building evacuations when widespread fungal contamination is
linked to illness, or where people who are at an increased risk of allergy
or infection are present
* Require documentation of quality assurance after remediation has taken
place
*Perform post-remediation sampling to insure thorough cleanliness of the
site.
"If we work to put the necessary guidelines in place for government
officials and property managers, we can start to reverse this devastating
trend," Marchman said.
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