Healthy Homes
in Rural Alaska
AJ Salkoski
Project Manager
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
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Introduction
Background
Principles of a Healthy Home
Working Toward Healthier Homes
Impact
Take Home
Introduction
• Who we are…
– The Alaska Native Tribal Health
Consortium (ANTHC)
– Largest tribally managed health
organization in the nation
– Vision: Alaska Native people are the
healthiest people in the world
– Mission: Providing the highest quality
health services in partnership with our
people and the Alaska Tribal Health
System
Introduction
• Environmental Health
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Field Environmental Health Program
Air Quality Program
Tribal Response Program (Brownfields)
Water, Sanitation & Hygiene
Research & Special Projects
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Introduction
Background
Principles of a Healthy Home
Working Toward Healthier Homes
Impact
Take Home
Background
• ANTHC Environmental Health received a
request from a pulmonologist and created
healthy homes study to determine the
relationship between the home environment
and children’s respiratory health
• Our goal is to improve the respiratory health
of Alaska Native children, and provide a model
to be used in indigenous communities
throughout North America
Respiratory Health
• Alaska Native children have some of the
highest rates of respiratory illness ever
documented
– Causes
• Poor indoor air quality
• Lack of in-home piped water services
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Introduction
Background
Principles of a Healthy Home
Working Toward Healthier Homes
Impact
Take Home
What are the 7 Principles?
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Contaminant-Free
Ventilated
Dry
Safe
Maintained
Clean
Pest-Free
How Can We Keep Our Homes
Contaminant-Free?
Behaviors include:
• Keep Fuels, Chemicals, and
SMOKING outdoors
• Remove Carhartts, Smoking
Jackets, and Snowsuits in
the arctic entry
• Burn only dry wood and
kindling in the woodstove
• Use chemicals as labeled
and only when necessary
• Ventilate, Ventilate,
Ventilate
www.alaska-in-pictures.com
Contaminant-Free
How Can We Keep Our Homes
Ventilated?
Opportunities Include:
• Keep Passive Vents
Open
• Keep the HRV Turned
ON
• Use the
Bathroom/Range
Exhausts
• Routinely Clean Filters
Ventilated
Photo: byggmax.com
How Can We Keep
Our Homes Dry?
Controlling Moisture Levels
Includes:
• Monitor the %RH (30-50%)
• Use the range exhaust
when cooking on the stove
• Avoid boiling water on the
stove when not cooking
• Dry up spills, floods, and/or
fix leaks
Dry
• The key to a dry home is
proper ventilation, humidity
control, cleaning up
moisture
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Introduction
Background
Principles of a Healthy Home
Working Toward Healthier Homes
Impact
Take Home
Steps
• Identify homes with children that have chronic
respiratory illness
• Assess the home for indoor air quality
concerns
• Modify the home to correct indoor air quality
concerns
• Monitor air quality before and after
modification
Air Sampling
• Particulate Matter 2.5
• Volatile Organic
Compounds
• Carbon Dioxide
• Temperature
• Relative Humidity
• Carbon Monoxide
New and/or Improved Vents
Ventilation intake plugged
with a rag
New ventilation intake
Cooking Stove Exhaust Installed
Cooking stove with no range exhaust
Cooking stove with
a new range exhaust
Woodstove Replacement
Old woodstove
New EPA-certified, low-emission
woodstove
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Introduction
Background
Principles of a Healthy Home
Working Toward Healthier Homes
Impact
Take Home
Summary of Air Quality Results
• CO2 (-26%)
• VOCs (-68%)
• PM2.5 (-21%)
Naaman Tomaganuk,
Housing Crew Member
Limitations for Health
Data Results
• Health data is only from residents reported lung
health questionnaires of 2 week intervals
– Administered at initial contact, immediately before home
modifications, 2 weeks, 3 months, & 1 year after home
modifications
• Health data will be collected from chart reviews
for clinic visits and hospitalizations
– Administered 1 year before and 1 year after home modifications
• School absences data will come from
questionnaires and will not be verified through
school records
Health Impact
• Observed Changes (30 homes):
– Cold or Runny Nose
• (-23.0%)
– School absence from breathing problems
• (-27.3%)
– Clinic visits for respiratory
• (18 before, 9 after)
– Hospitalization for respiratory
• (7 before, 0 after)
Behavior Changes
• Continued to use ventilation
– Determined ways to ventilate without making the
home too cold
• Stopped working on engines in the home
• Became conscious of burning dry wood
Preliminary Results
• Based on the results presented in the previous
slides. We can conclude the following:
• Air quality was improved
• Fewer reported school absences, clinic visits, and
hospitalizations from respiratory illness
• Residents were willing to change behaviors
Map
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Introduction
Background
Principles of a Healthy Home
Working Toward Healthier Homes
Impact
Take Home
Takeaways
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We can make our homes healthier
Keep contaminants out of the home
Ventilate the home (Let the house breathe)
Breathing cleaner air can contribute to better
health
Questions?