Episode 665: David Jacobs, PhD, CIH – A Healthy Homes Pioneer; Over 40 Years of Improving IEQ

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Episode 665: David Jacobs, PhD, CIH – A Healthy Homes Pioneer; Over 40 Years of Improving IEQ

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Show Resources: 12:04:31 From cliff zlotnik : trivia name the pediatrician who first warned the world about lead?
12:07:07 From Victor Cafaro : Dr Herb Needleman
12:07:39 From cliff zlotnik : correct vic send contact info!
12:17:08 From Tom Phillips, Healthy Bldg Research : re: outdoor NO2 sources, did you see a difference in indoor NO2 among floor levels, or peaks during commute times?
12:17:58 From Tom Phillips, Healthy Bldg Research : Hi David: great to hear your stories and catch up with your new work!
12:21:13 From Tom Phillips, Healthy Bldg Research : David: how did you get invovled in NonEnergy Benefits on weatherization? I recall that your were one of the first groups in the US to address this issue.
12:38:34 From EVELYN : Re NO2, great question Tom. My first thought was that it might be sewer/drain line related. These days the use of AAVs and piggy backing plumbing vents are increasing, and I imagine if a unit is negatively pressurized from time to time, it would create IAQ concerns like NO2.
12:53:22 From EVELYN : Did they do radon testing in the upper floors of multi-unit buildings?
12:55:25 From Tom Phillips, Healthy Bldg Research : I have not heard of NO2 from sewer drains. re: outdoor NO2: Parking garages and gas clothes dryers are prime suspects tho.
12:56:15 From Tom Phillips, Healthy Bldg Research : David: re indoor heat stress, wil public housing ever set indoor temperature maximums or address overheating problems?
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CliffZ
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Re: Episode 665: David Jacobs, PhD, CIH – A Healthy Homes Pioneer; Over 40 Years of Improving IEQ

Post by CliffZ »

My takeaways from today's show:

Unlike Don Quixote who fought windmills to no avail, Dr. David Jacobs has seen the benefits of his labor.

In looking for a suitable trivia question about I learned that geophysicist Clair Patterson and pediatrician Herb Needleman both sounded the alarm over lead toxicity.

Housing is infrastructure.

Climate change is connected to healthy housing.

Old windows as a source of lead contamination and collector of lead contaminated house dust.

The importance of statistics, demonstrating the probability of missing homes with radon problems by selecting percentages of homes rather than all homes.

The odd way people think, when people think that either a problems has already been solved or is too big to solve leads to paralysis of consumer action.

THE PRINCIPLES OF A HEALTHY HOME
Housing conditions can and should support good health. But what makes a healthy home environment? These principles provide a framework for describing the critical components of a healthy home.

HEALTHY HOMES ARE:

Dry: Damp houses provide a nurturing environment for mites, roaches, rodents, and molds, all of which are associated with asthma.

Clean: Clean homes help reduce pest infestations and exposure to contaminants.

Pest-Free: Recent studies show a causal relationship between exposure to mice and cockroaches and asthma episodes in children; yet inappropriate treatment for pest infestations can exacerbate health problems, since pesticide residues in homes pose risks for neurological damage and cancer.

Ventilated: Studies show that increasing the fresh air supply in a home improves respiratory health.

Safe: The majority of injuries among children occur in the home. Falls are the most frequent cause of residential injuries to children, followed by injuries from objects in the home, burns, and poisonings.

Contaminant-Free: Chemical exposures include lead, radon, pesticides, volatile organic compounds, PFAS, and environmental tobacco smoke. Exposures to asbestos particles, radon gas, carbon monoxide, and secondhand tobacco smoke are far higher indoors than outside.

Maintained: Poorly maintained homes are at risk for moisture and pest problems. Deteriorated lead-based paint in older housing is the primary cause of lead poisoning, which affects some 535,000 U.S. children annually.

Thermally Controlled: Tenants and homeowners are at risk for various health problems related to prolonged exposure to excessive heat or cold when their homes do not maintain adequate temperatures.

Accessible: Modifications are often necessary in order for occupants to move safely in their homes. Lack of accessibility in and outside the home can result in reduced physical activity, trips, falls, isolation from family and friends, and poor mental health. New homes should be designed for the accessibility of all possible occupants, regardless of their age or mobility.

Affordable: Households in which more than 30% of the income in spent on housing are considered to be cost burdened; if they spend more than 50% of their income on housing, they are considered severely cost burdened. High housing cost burden can lead to housing instability in the forms of difficulty paying rents or mortgages, evictions or foreclosures, frequent moves, overcrowding, living with relatives or friends, and homelessness. The high cost of housing can drive families into substandard housing, often in unsafe neighborhoods, can lead to damaged credit, job loss, lack of nutritious food and adequate healthcare, and poor mental health.
Learn more at: https://nchh.org/information-and-eviden ... rinciples/

Z-Man signing off
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RadioJoe
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Re: Episode 665: David Jacobs, PhD, CIH – A Healthy Homes Pioneer; Over 40 Years of Improving IEQ

Post by RadioJoe »

Thank you Dave Jacobs not only for doing the show with us yesterday but for your decades of work helping make homes healthier. I love these kind of shows when we learn about what happened behind the headlines. Be it the Cleveland IPH topic or how the HUD Guidelines for Lead Based Paint came about to Title X and much more check out this fantastic show.
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