Re: Household levels of mold following Hurricane Katrina surpass some agricultural e

[Guest guest]

KC,

This is a good one from a very credible source. The body of studies

that is available concerns food and agricultural exposure. The

criticism of exposures in the indoor environment is they are unlike

agricultural exposures. Now this study compares Katrina houses to

agricultural exposures. My hats of to the astuteness of the

researchers!

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

-----

> Public release date: 22-Sep-2006

> EurekAlert (press release) - Washington,DC,USA

>

>

> Contact: Berger

> 212-305-4372

> Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health

>

> http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-09/cums-hlo092206.php

>

> Household levels of mold following Hurricane Katrina surpass some

> agricultural environments

>

>

> Mold and bacteria levels in New Orleans homes warrant use of strong

> respiratory protection In a study assessing flood clean-up procedures

> in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, a team of scientists led

> by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public

> Health, report that household levels of mold and bacterial endotoxins

> in three single-family homes were so considerable that they equaled or

> surpassed those in waste- water treatment plants, cotton mills, and

> agricultural environments. The study is the first comprehensive report

> documenting levels of mold and bacteria in homes that received

> sustained flooding.

>

> Following Hurricane Katrina, many New Orleans homes remained flooded

> for weeks, promoting heavy mold growth. These three New Orleans homes

> were selected for the study based on their levels of flood water,

> whether they previously were structurally sound, and if they were

> located in an area likely to be rebuilt. The study examined the extent

> to which homes that experienced significant and prolonged exposure to

> flood waters could be satisfactorily cleaned to enable reconstruction.

> Homes were inspected for roof leakage, standing water and the extent

> of mold throughout their interiors, as well as heating ventilation and

> air conditioning.

>

> " From our data, it is clear that levels of mold were so high that we

> strongly recommend that those entering, cleaning, and repairing

> flood-damaged homes wear respirators that are more protective than

> plain dust masks, " said Ginger Chew, ScD, assistant professor of

> environmental health sciences at Columbia's Mailman School of Public

> Health. " While our assessments of the data are based on a small

> demonstration project, the results give a clear picture of what is

> acceptable in flood clean-up procedures. "

>

> The project was sponsored by the NIEHS Center for Environmental

> Health in Northern Manhattan and Enterprise Community Partners, and

> was carried out by the Mailman School of Public Health, the National

> Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) and several other academic

> institutions including Tulane School of Public Health, the University

> of Cincinnati, Harvard School of Public Health, The University of

> Iowa, and Case Western Reserve University.

>

> " Our goal was to make recommendations for the safe removal of flood-

> damaged articles, safe re-entry into homes, and safe levels of worker

> protection, " said , deputy director of the National

> Center for Healthy Housing.

>

> According to researchers, these findings not only will inform those

> involved in current clean-up activities in New Orleans and other

> environments, but will benefit those responding to any future

> disasters that may occur.

>

> ###

> The findings will be published in the December issue of

> Environmental Health Perspectives. To access the study currently

> online, visit http://www.ehponline.org/members/2006/9258/9258.pdf

>

> About the Mailman School of Public Health

>

> The only accredited school of public health in New York City, and

> among the first in the nation Columbia University's Mailman School of

> Public Health provides instruction and research opportunities to more

> than 900 graduate students in pursuit of masters and doctoral degrees.

> Its students and more than 270 multi-disciplinary faculty engage in

> research and service in the city, nation, and around the world,

> concentrating on biostatistics, environmental health sciences,

> epidemiology, health policy and management, population and family

> health, and sociomedical sciences. www.mailman.hs.columbia.edu

>

> National Center for Healthy Housing is the only national non-profit

> organization dedicated to developing and promoting practical measures

> to protect children from residential environmental hazards while

> preserving affordable housing. NCHH seeks to find 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. NCHH also works with governmental and

> non-governmental organizations to develop standards and programs and

> guide their implementation through insurers, lenders, federal and

> state laws and regulations, community organizations, and the courts.

> www.centerforhealthyhousing.org

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> FAIR USE NOTICE:

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

-thanks kc-- In , " tigerpaw2c "

<tigerpaw2c@...> wrote:

>

> Public release date: 22-Sep-2006

> EurekAlert (press release) - Washington,DC,USA

>

>

> Contact: Berger

> 212-305-4372

> Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health

>

> http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-09/cums-hlo092206.php

>

> Household levels of mold following Hurricane Katrina surpass some

> agricultural environments

>

>

> Mold and bacteria levels in New Orleans homes warrant use of strong

> respiratory protection

> In a study assessing flood clean-up procedures in New Orleans

> following Hurricane Katrina, a team of scientists led by

researchers

> at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, report

> that household levels of mold and bacterial endotoxins in three

> single-family homes were so considerable that they equaled or

> surpassed those in waste- water treatment plants, cotton mills, and

> agricultural environments. The study is the first comprehensive

> report documenting levels of mold and bacteria in homes that

> received sustained flooding.

>

> Following Hurricane Katrina, many New Orleans homes remained

flooded

> for weeks, promoting heavy mold growth. These three New Orleans

> homes were selected for the study based on their levels of flood

> water, whether they previously were structurally sound, and if they

> were located in an area likely to be rebuilt. The study examined

the

> extent to which homes that experienced significant and prolonged

> exposure to flood waters could be satisfactorily cleaned to enable

> reconstruction. Homes were inspected for roof leakage, standing

> water and the extent of mold throughout their interiors, as well as

> heating ventilation and air conditioning.

>

> " From our data, it is clear that levels of mold were so high that

we

> strongly recommend that those entering, cleaning, and repairing

> flood-damaged homes wear respirators that are more protective than

> plain dust masks, " said Ginger Chew, ScD, assistant professor of

> environmental health sciences at Columbia's Mailman School of

Public

> Health. " While our assessments of the data are based on a small

> demonstration project, the results give a clear picture of what is

> acceptable in flood clean-up procedures. "

>

> The project was sponsored by the NIEHS Center for Environmental

> Health in Northern Manhattan and Enterprise Community Partners, and

> was carried out by the Mailman School of Public Health, the

National

> Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) and several other academic

> institutions including Tulane School of Public Health, the

> University of Cincinnati, Harvard School of Public Health, The

> University of Iowa, and Case Western Reserve University.

>

> " Our goal was to make recommendations for the safe removal of flood-

> damaged articles, safe re-entry into homes, and safe levels of

> worker protection, " said , deputy director of the

> National Center for Healthy Housing.

>

> According to researchers, these findings not only will inform those

> involved in current clean-up activities in New Orleans and other

> environments, but will benefit those responding to any future

> disasters that may occur.

>

> ###

> The findings will be published in the December issue of

> Environmental Health Perspectives. To access the study currently

> online, visit http://www.ehponline.org/members/2006/9258/9258.pdf

>

> About the Mailman School of Public Health

>

> The only accredited school of public health in New York City, and

> among the first in the nation Columbia University's Mailman School

> of Public Health provides instruction and research opportunities to

> more than 900 graduate students in pursuit of masters and doctoral

> degrees. Its students and more than 270 multi-disciplinary faculty

> engage in research and service in the city, nation, and around the

> world, concentrating on biostatistics, environmental health

> sciences, epidemiology, health policy and management, population

and

> family health, and sociomedical sciences.

www.mailman.hs.columbia.edu

>

> National Center for Healthy Housing is the only national non-profit

> organization dedicated to developing and promoting practical

> measures to protect children from residential environmental hazards

> while preserving affordable housing. NCHH seeks to find

> 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. NCHH also

> works with governmental and non-governmental organizations to

> develop standards and programs and guide their implementation

> through insurers, lenders, federal and state laws and regulations,

> community organizations, and the courts.

> www.centerforhealthyhousing.org

>