A Partnership Effort in Healthy and Affordable Housing

Childhood Asthma

Childhood asthma is on the rise — a 72 percent increase in prevalence since 1982 — and this dramatic increase is blamed at least in part on poor indoor air quality. Higher asthma rates have also been linked with poverty. In Seattle, for example, hospitalization rates for pediatric asthma are 3-4 times higher in low-income neighborhoods than in more affluent areas.

As part of its fight against asthma, the American Lung Association® of Washington partnered with Seattle Housing Authority (SHA), Florida Solar Energy Center and Seattle City Light in the Holly Park Redevelopment Effort. This largest public housing revitalization project in the city’s history is located in southeast Seattle, an area with one of the county’s highest hospitalization rates for childhood asthma. The first 450 new homes in the redeveloped neighborhood of New Holly include six units specifically designated as home-based child care facilities.

The American Lung Association® incorporated Healthy House techniques and components into each child care unit to ensure enhanced indoor air quality.

The American Lung Association® worked closely with Dr. Subrato Chandra from the Florida Solar Energy Center to create Healthy House child care units at New Holly. Dr. Chandra analyzed the construction plans and suggested modifications to improve indoor air quality in these units. His involvement was made possible with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Healthy House specifications are determined from site to site, building to building, but the results are the same: improved indoor breathing environment, based on the principles of air-tightness for energy-efficiency; ventilation for fresh air and moisture control; source control for potential pollutants; and effective monitoring and maintenance.

At New Holly, Dr. Chandra recommended these specific modifications:

• Reduce exposure to combustion gases by installing the water heater in a sealed room which is vented directly to the outside.
• Install a continuous-monitoring carbon monoxide detector in each unit.
• Ventilate each house with a continuously-operated whole-house fan, a variable speed controller kitchen exhaust, window air-inlet slots and attic vents.
• Reduce exposure to VOCs by installing low-nap, 100% nylon carpets with tack strips rather than adhesives and by using low-emission kitchen cabinets.
• Incorporate moisture resistance techniques such as fully priming exterior wood trim and using felt drainage planes to prevent water collection around the windows. These methods discourage moisture infiltration and reduce mold growth.
• Supply each child care unit with a high-efficiency vacuum to reduce exposure to dust and dust mites, and green cleaning kits to reduce exposure to chemicals in cleaning supplies.

Healthy House modifications were found to be cost effective alternatives for the entire New Holly effort, and were in fact incorporated into all the homes in phase I. These features include:

• Construction of an impermeable barrier to reduce air infiltration. By carefully sealing the floors, walls, ceilings, doors and windows, an air-tight envelope was created to provide draft-free, energy-efficient housing.
• Installation of variable-speed kitchen exhaust fans to remove moisture, oils and to improve air circulation.
• Selection of low-weave, 100% nylon carpets to reduce dust mite populations (dust mites prefer wool). All the carpets were laid with tack strips, and used a low-VOC, recycled fiber underpad.
• Use of non-toxic adhesives and finishes along with low-VOC, water-based paints to minimize chemical exposure.

In December 1998, Dr Chandra visited Seattle to test the first child care unit. The unit was inspected for air tightness and pressure differentials. This was important because it indicated whether the combustion gases would enter the living space or not. The testing also determined whether there was adequate ventilation and air circulation in the house, and demonstrated the air-tightness of the house.

The testing showed us that the Healthy House child care unit performed significantly better than the unmodified units (which were tested by Seattle City Light). The sealed room which contained the water heater, was indeed de-coupled from the living space, reducing the possibility of backdrafting combustion gases. This was true even when all the exhaust fans (the continuously operating fan as well as the bathroom and kitchen ones) were turned on.

Upon testing, Dr. Chandra made some additional recommendations:

• Move the continuously operated whole house exhaust fan from the bathroom to the hallway.
• Move the CO detector to the ceiling just outside the door to the sealed room containing the water heater.

The success of this project can be attributed to the partnership efforts from experts in the field (Dr. Chandra from the Florida Solar Energy Center), the city of Seattle (Seattle Housing Authority, Seattle City Light), the community (Holly Park Family Canter), volunteers (Master Home Environmentalist) and funders (Key Bank).