Study of the relationship between health symptom reporting and mold measurements in First Nations housing

Study conducted in the First Nations community of Neskantaga in Northern - Northwestern Ontario, in the District of Kenora. The purpose of the study is to examine the relationship between health symptom reporting and mold concentration in First Nations housing. Indoor air quality is increasingly bec...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Allain, Erik
Other Authors: Montelpare, William
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: 2008
Subjects:
Online Access:http://knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca/handle/2453/2191
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spelling ftlakeheaduniv:oai:knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca:2453/2191 2023-05-15T16:14:57+02:00 Study of the relationship between health symptom reporting and mold measurements in First Nations housing Allain, Erik Montelpare, William 2008 application/pdf http://knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca/handle/2453/2191 en_US eng http://knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca/handle/2453/2191 Native peoples Housing Ontario Northwestern Molds (Fungi) Health aspects Ontario Molds (Fungi) Environmental aspects Ontario Thesis 2008 ftlakeheaduniv 2022-05-01T17:25:50Z Study conducted in the First Nations community of Neskantaga in Northern - Northwestern Ontario, in the District of Kenora. The purpose of the study is to examine the relationship between health symptom reporting and mold concentration in First Nations housing. Indoor air quality is increasingly becoming a topic of concern for many homeowners, and the information on the issue is often controversial and misunderstood. Various studies report that a range of health symptoms are associated with being exposed to mold in the indoor environment, but there is still debate over which symptoms are included in this association and the amount of mold to which an individual must be exposed before the symptoms occur. One study concludes that, while there is general agreement that visible mold in the indoor environment is unhealthy and is a situation that must be corrected, the point at which mold contamination becomes a health concern is not known (Robbins et al., 2000). Other studies state that people experiencing mold-related health effects have diverse characteristics, and that, as there are currently no health-based exposure standards for molds, it is difficult, if not impossible, to predict who will experience symptoms and when (Bobbit et al., 2005; Rao et al., 1996). Even though these studies have led to a significant amount of scientific literature, unanimous agreement has not been reached as yet on whether or not mold in fact causes health symptoms in the individuals exposed. This subject is important, considering that it is reported that Canadians spend up to 70% of their time indoors—perhaps even more in the coldest months of the year (la). Therefore, when houses are contaminated with mold, the exposure time of the occupants is significant and ongoing. Housing inequalities among individuals living on and off reserve have also been recognized for some time. According to a report produced by the National Aboriginal Health Organization (RHS, 2002/03), nearly half (49%) of families living in band-owned houses report mold in their homes. This was confirmed in the 2003 Report ofthe Auditor General of Canada (RAGC, 2003), which stated: “Mold contaminates almost half of First Nations households.” First Nations homes are also about four times more likely to require extensive repairs than are Canadian homes overall (34% vs. 8%) (RHS, 2002/03). Exacerbating the problem is the fact that First Nations members live in homes that are, on average, nearly twice as crowded as Canadian homes overall (4.8 vs. 2.6 persons per room) (RHS, 2002/03). There are significant gaps in the literature regarding the health effects of mold on First Nations individuals. Very few studies have been conducted in which First Nations people were the target population and in which mold measurements and reported health symptoms were collected in a systematic fashion. This study was designed to bridge this gap by examining the association between reported health symptoms and mold concentration in an entire First Nations community. Thesis First Nations Lakehead University Knowledge Commons Canada
institution Open Polar
collection Lakehead University Knowledge Commons
op_collection_id ftlakeheaduniv
language English
topic Native peoples Housing Ontario
Northwestern
Molds (Fungi) Health aspects Ontario
Molds (Fungi) Environmental aspects Ontario
spellingShingle Native peoples Housing Ontario
Northwestern
Molds (Fungi) Health aspects Ontario
Molds (Fungi) Environmental aspects Ontario
Allain, Erik
Study of the relationship between health symptom reporting and mold measurements in First Nations housing
topic_facet Native peoples Housing Ontario
Northwestern
Molds (Fungi) Health aspects Ontario
Molds (Fungi) Environmental aspects Ontario
description Study conducted in the First Nations community of Neskantaga in Northern - Northwestern Ontario, in the District of Kenora. The purpose of the study is to examine the relationship between health symptom reporting and mold concentration in First Nations housing. Indoor air quality is increasingly becoming a topic of concern for many homeowners, and the information on the issue is often controversial and misunderstood. Various studies report that a range of health symptoms are associated with being exposed to mold in the indoor environment, but there is still debate over which symptoms are included in this association and the amount of mold to which an individual must be exposed before the symptoms occur. One study concludes that, while there is general agreement that visible mold in the indoor environment is unhealthy and is a situation that must be corrected, the point at which mold contamination becomes a health concern is not known (Robbins et al., 2000). Other studies state that people experiencing mold-related health effects have diverse characteristics, and that, as there are currently no health-based exposure standards for molds, it is difficult, if not impossible, to predict who will experience symptoms and when (Bobbit et al., 2005; Rao et al., 1996). Even though these studies have led to a significant amount of scientific literature, unanimous agreement has not been reached as yet on whether or not mold in fact causes health symptoms in the individuals exposed. This subject is important, considering that it is reported that Canadians spend up to 70% of their time indoors—perhaps even more in the coldest months of the year (la). Therefore, when houses are contaminated with mold, the exposure time of the occupants is significant and ongoing. Housing inequalities among individuals living on and off reserve have also been recognized for some time. According to a report produced by the National Aboriginal Health Organization (RHS, 2002/03), nearly half (49%) of families living in band-owned houses report mold in their homes. This was confirmed in the 2003 Report ofthe Auditor General of Canada (RAGC, 2003), which stated: “Mold contaminates almost half of First Nations households.” First Nations homes are also about four times more likely to require extensive repairs than are Canadian homes overall (34% vs. 8%) (RHS, 2002/03). Exacerbating the problem is the fact that First Nations members live in homes that are, on average, nearly twice as crowded as Canadian homes overall (4.8 vs. 2.6 persons per room) (RHS, 2002/03). There are significant gaps in the literature regarding the health effects of mold on First Nations individuals. Very few studies have been conducted in which First Nations people were the target population and in which mold measurements and reported health symptoms were collected in a systematic fashion. This study was designed to bridge this gap by examining the association between reported health symptoms and mold concentration in an entire First Nations community.
author2 Montelpare, William
format Thesis
author Allain, Erik
author_facet Allain, Erik
author_sort Allain, Erik
title Study of the relationship between health symptom reporting and mold measurements in First Nations housing
title_short Study of the relationship between health symptom reporting and mold measurements in First Nations housing
title_full Study of the relationship between health symptom reporting and mold measurements in First Nations housing
title_fullStr Study of the relationship between health symptom reporting and mold measurements in First Nations housing
title_full_unstemmed Study of the relationship between health symptom reporting and mold measurements in First Nations housing
title_sort study of the relationship between health symptom reporting and mold measurements in first nations housing
publishDate 2008
url http://knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca/handle/2453/2191
geographic Canada
geographic_facet Canada
genre First Nations
genre_facet First Nations
op_relation http://knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca/handle/2453/2191
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