If allergies and air at home bother you, here's what to do - Washington Post
If allergies and air at home bother you, here's what to do - Washington Post |
- If allergies and air at home bother you, here's what to do - Washington Post
- Minton Hall ready for residents by fall semester - College Heights Herald
- Students speak out after this year's public mold outrage - Indiana Daily Student
| If allergies and air at home bother you, here's what to do - Washington Post Posted: 29 Apr 2019 12:00 AM PDT  When spring arrives, it's a joy to open your windows and feel the fresh air. All too soon it will be summer and we'll shut ourselves in again. This ritual raises a question: Which is healthier — outdoor air or indoor air? They're related, of course. The air inside our homes originates from outside and can carry pollen or pollutants, such as those produced by combustion engines. Indoor sources might add to the mix with tobacco smoke, cooking, mold spores, dust and pet dander. A tightly sealed home may allow this mix of particulate matter to become more concentrated inside than out. For good health outcomes, "The key is to catch small particles," says Stuart Batterman, an environmental health scientist at the University of Michigan's School of Public Health. Particles that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller — called fine particles, particulate matter 2.5 or PM2.5 — are small enough to travel deep into the lungs and sometimes cross into the bloodstream. Fine particles are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency because they can cause health problems. High particulate matter may be associated with serious outcomes, such as asthma attacks, heart attacks and premature deaths in people with heart or lung disease. Those affected may experience airway irritation, difficulty breathing and coughing. The most vulnerable are those with asthma, particularly children because their airways are smaller, and elderly people who have respiratory conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or emphysema, or heart disease. The first things you should do is try to remove the source of irritants, says Brian Christman, a pulmonologist and spokesman for the American Lung Association. While air filters can be helpful, says Christman, who also is chief of medicine at Veterans Affairs' Tennessee Valley Health Care System in Nashville, "they're about number four or five on the list of things you can do about air quality." "If you're allergic to cats, and have five cats at home, an air filter won't help," he says. Short of getting rid of pets, you can keep them out of your bedroom. If mold is a problem, you'd want to dry out areas of dampness — whether that means fixing leaks or seepage or using an exhaust fan when you shower. Use the exhaust fan over your stove when you're cooking with high heat, such as grilling or stir-frying. Reducing the humidity of your home makes it less friendly for mold and dust mites. Specialized pillow and mattress covers can reduce dust mite exposure. Christman also suggests avoiding harsh cleaners such as ammonia and bleach. "Those things are hard on your airways, particularly if you have sensitive airways," he says. Stick to more natural cleaners such as vinegar and baking soda. After you've managed source control, a good air cleaner may help filter out what's left. Air cleaners can remove particulate matter from the air inside your home. There are two basic setups: a portable appliance or adapting a house- or building-wide HVAC system. The stand-alone appliances, also called air purifiers, circulate the air in a room and trap particles. If you have a forced air system of heating and cooling, that system does the same thing for all your rooms, and you can upgrade the system's filter to improve particle removal. A 2012 study tested portable air cleaners in low-income households of children with asthma. Air cleaners, when used in the children's bedroom, reduced particulate matter by an average of 50 percent. But families didn't use the devices consistently. Batterman, who co-wrote the study, says the portable air cleaners do produce some noise and people who use them do need to change the filters. "They do a reasonable job for a small area," he says, such as a bedroom. Those with forced air should take advantage of that system to clean the air throughout the house, Batterman says. You already have a filter; for cleaner air, you need to upgrade it to better catch small particles. And you need to change it regularly — every three months is a common recommendation. The cheapest filters are worthless for catching particles, Batterman says. He recommends a pleated filter with a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating of 13 or higher (so does the EPA). The MERV 13 filters cost about $15 to $20. The filter works whenever the system's fan is running and the windows are closed. That means during heating or air-conditioning season; or you can turn on fan mode. Newer thermostats have a mode that cycles the fan on and off, so you get the benefits of filtering without running the system constantly. "If you have a child with asthma or allergies, it's quite effective," Batterman says. And if you avoid one emergency room visit or a missed work day, then the more expensive filter has paid for itself. A couple of things to watch out for: Don't use air filters that have an electrical field. Called air ionizers or electronic filters, these create ozone, which is harmful for health. (Slightly off topic, but another invisible health hazard is radon. It's best to test your home; the greater Washington area is in a high-risk zone for radon.) Specific air-quality problems might provide additional reasons for filtering your home's air, such as wildfires. Air quality trouble spots can be viewed daily at an EPA website, AirNow.gov. But unless you have a health condition that requires you pay close attention to indoor air quality, you really don't need an air filter. Batterman says he's not a proponent of super clean spaces. Christman says regular dirt and dust are not bad for you. There's evidence that growing up in very clean environments is related to the rise in autoimmune and allergic disorders, although the precise culprits have not been identified. Read more Battling asthma can get harder, and scarier, as you age Hospitals find asthma hot spots more profitable to ignore than fix How many years do we lose to the air we breathe?  |
| Minton Hall ready for residents by fall semester - College Heights Herald Posted: 30 Apr 2019 03:45 AM PDT  In November 2018, 384 residents of Minton Hall were abruptly relocated to other residence halls across campus due to mold found in mechanical spaces within the building. Now, almost four months after the renovations were initially promised to be finished, Minton is slated to be ready for new students to move in by August. A 2018 Herald investigation found more than 500 reports of mold were made within the past year. Looking at submitted maintenance requests, 473 reports were made in residence halls. The dorm with the most reports was Pearce-Ford Tower with a total of 111 maintenance requests reporting mold as of Monday, Nov. 12. Bemis-Lawrence Hall had the second most with 100, followed by Minton with 46. Renovations began on Minton after students were placed in other residence halls and were initially told the building would reopen for the Spring 2019 semester. Less than a week before the semester began, the former Minton residents were sent an email notifying them the building would not be ready and construction would continue during the spring. With the spring semester almost complete, Bob Skipper, director of media relations, said in an email that WKU has undergone a comprehensive review of conditions in all residence halls. Skipper said the field work for the facility condition assessment, which is the first step, has been completed, and WKU is now awaiting the final report. Operational studies have been initiated of the chilled water system, Minton's HVAC system and other mechanical systems as well as "additional studies" within the facilities. "As you may know, mold growth requires food (carbon based materials), water and mold spores (or roots)," Skipper said. "Our efforts have been focused on determining how best to eliminate one or more of these requirements. The operational studies enable us to better control the indoor air quality and the ability to prevent condensation (water). The facility condition study enables us to identify and correct leaks and other issues, and the additional studies enable us to identify other risk points for one or more of the three requirements for mold growth." Any and all work is being completed under Facilities Management, which is currently performing or has completed work in Minton and all residence halls. In Minton, there has been removal and replacement of carpet baseboards, removal and replacement of cork and other porous and carbon-based communication boards, mechanical scrubbing and treatment of floor surfaces in shower rooms and restrooms and a wash treatment of wood surfaces to kill mold "roots." Skipper said all halls have gone under corrective maintenance, repairs, cleaning and filter replacements for all room HVAC units, plumbing repairs of identified leaks and removal and replacement of drywall where water penetrated or mold was visible. Assistant News Editor Emily DeLetter can be reached at 270-745-6011 or emily.deletter304@topper.wku.edu. Follow her on Twitter at @emilydeletter.  |
| Students speak out after this year's public mold outrage - Indiana Daily Student Posted: 26 Apr 2019 08:58 AM PDT  Freshmen Alessia Borzaro and Olivia Ranucci move their belongings out Oct. 17 from their room in McNutt Quad. The quad is one of the living spaces on the northwest side of campus with mold problems. Colin Kulpa Buy Photos A number of students who lived in IU's residence halls at the time have filed a lawsuit against the Trustees of IU after dealing with mold discovered last semester in residence halls. The students' attorneys claim IU broke its contract by allowing students to move into mold-plagued rooms. They also allege a number of wrongdoings, including negligence, fraud and deception. But the Trustees' attorneys argue the students have no case. From cleaning rooms to moving out, many students have dealt with the fallout of mold on campus. Some believe they experienced mold in the residence halls before this year's public outrage. Kathryn Mulroe Freshman Kathryn Mulroe now starts her mornings with a cocktail of various medicines. She finishes her days with another. She says she would not have to take some of the medications if she hadn't been exposed to mold. An asthmatic who is allergic to mold, Mulroe got sick last fall soon after she moved into McNutt Quad. She said she remembers feeling winded trying to go up stairs. She can't remember the exact number of times she went to the IU Health Center. It was either seven or eight. Her MoldSCORE, a number that helps assess the amount of mold in a room, was deemed safe — only 107 out of 300. Brindin Parrott Sophomore Brindin Parrott remembers her clothes smelled like cat pee. She didn't have a cat. The first-generation college student became ill last fall soon after moving into Ashton Center. Eventually, she was struggling to breathe so much she wasn't able to go to the gym. "Not being able to work out made my mental health even worse," she said. "And that's on top of being sick." After every cough, Parrott's mouth began to taste like blood. She went to the emergency room in November and was prescribed a steroid, inhaler and a cough medicine. Parrot was also prescribed a pain reliever but didn't fill it so her bill would be cheaper. Parrott made plans to move into BBHN Apartments on campus and estimates she spent about $500 furnishing her new apartment. Before she left Ashton, Parrott said she saw people in masks come to clean two other rooms in her building. Regan Poarch Vocal performance major Regan Poarch's story is a little different. She lived in McNutt Quad last year, and an employee of Residential Programs and Services said in an email there was no mold found in her residence hall. Still, the then-freshman visited the IU Health Center seven times last year. What started as a cough developed into bronchitis, the flu, a bacterial infection in her eye and eventually asthma. She had to stop singing for a time. But Poarch still had class, so she was forced to sit in rehearsals and read the music watching while her peers sang. Poarch said she felt like she was playing a game of catch up all year. "It was your basic freshman who gets sick," Poarch said. "But times 10." One day in the spring, she joined her friends on a run from McNutt Quad to Read Center. She was fine in the beginning, but when the group passed Wells Library, Poarch began to cough. Once she arrived at Read Center, Poarch dashed to the bathroom and leaned over the sink, still coughing. The sink was dotted with blood. The cause of this and Poarch's sudden asthma is unknown. She and her mother, Christine, suspected mold in McNutt, so Christine Poarch sent a message to the McNutt maintenance email. She specifically asked about the bathrooms and air ventilation system. "I did not find any mold but did see some metal surfaces that were tarnished that could be perceived as mold," said a member of RPS who inspected Poarch's floor and bathrooms in McNutt in an email. The staff member also said the vents are cleaned regularly and the filter system would be checked. Neither Christine Poarch's email nor the RPS response mentioned investigating inside Poarch's room. After she got sick, Poarch visited an allergy and asthma specialist. She was diagnosed with late onset asthma and has since been allergy tested. She said she is allergic to almost every type of mold. Poarch never found out what made her sick. But her health has gotten better since moving out of McNutt, and she still suspects her room had mold. She now has to keep an emergency inhaler in her backpack. Like what you're reading? Support independent, award-winning college journalism on this site. Donate here.  KeMontie Johnson was shot and killed at a party in October. No one has been arrested for his murder.  The students' attorneys claim IU has been ignoring its mold problem for years.  The collection is accessible online and includes more than 70,000 plant species from Indiana.  |
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