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Asthma Risk Associated with Indoor Mold Contamination in Hispanic Communities in Eastern Coachella Valley, California
Citation:
Sinclair, R., C. Russell, G. Kray, AND S. Vesper. Asthma Risk Associated with Indoor Mold Contamination in Hispanic Communities in Eastern Coachella Valley, California. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH. Hindawi Publishing Corporation, New York, NY, 2018:9350370, (2018). https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/9350370
Impact/Purpose:
It has been known for many years that exposures in damp/moldy buildings increases the risk of asthma and respiratory illness. Our first goal was to try to obtain an accurate estimate of asthma/respiratory illness for both adults and children in the low-income, Hispanic communities in the Eastern Coachella Valley (ECV) of California. Our second goal was to examine the different types of housing in Mecca and Coachella City to determine the level of mold exposures in the various types of housing in these communities, as defined by their Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) values. Finally, we wanted to determine if there was any correlation between asthma/respiratory illness and ERMI values found in the different types of ECV homes.
Description:
Indoor-mold exposure has been associated with an increased risk of asthma and respiratory illness. This study investigated respiratory illness, asthma and indoor mold contamination in two low-income, Hispanic communities, Mecca and Coachella City, in the Eastern Coachella Valley (ECV) of California. Teams consisting of Loma Linda University Public-Health graduate students administered a questionnaire to assess asthma/respiratory illness and collected dust samples in homes to quantify mold contamination using the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) scale. Based on questions related to asthma and respiratory health, about 11% of the adults and 17% of the children in both Coachella City and Mecca met our definitions of asthma/respiratory illness. The average ERMI value for Mecca housing (n=50) was 10.3, which was significantly greater than the average ERMI value of 6.0 for Coachella City housing (n=61). The combined percentages of children and adults assessed with asthma/respiratory illness was significantly correlated (Pearson, p<0.05) with the average ERMI values in ECV housing types. Residents of the Eastern Coachella Valley are exposed to very high levels of mold contamination in their homes and this may be one reason for the high prevalence of asthma/respiratory illness, especially for children.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Asthma Risk Associated with Indoor Mold Contamination in Hispanic Communities in Eastern Coachella Valley, California
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30410546