The CHAMP program has been going since the beginning of 2008 and is now in its 3rd year! Here are some results from the last two years, to know more about the program and the findings.
Parents in the program were asked if they also had asthma. 27.5% of the Families ended up having at least one of the parents also having asthma. This graph shows that educating the whole family is very important. Its our hope that after having the visits for the program, the asthma symptoms for both the parents and children will lessen.
During the indoor air quality visits, we measure the Carbon Dioxide levels. Recommended levels are under 1000ppm, but the study showed the majority of the houses in 2009 had levels above the recommendation. 3 households were above 3000ppm at which point health effects can start to appear, such as headaches and fatigue.
The CHAMP program started out just in Linn County, which is why the majority of the families have been in Cedar Rapids and Marion. However, since the program expanded into the eight adjacent counties to Linn County, we've been adding many more locations like Iowa City.
In 2008, the homes in the program mostly had the recommended relative humidity (RH) of below 50%. 9 families, though, were above 60%, which provides enough moisture for both spontaneous mold growth to occur and for dust mites to thrive. Lowering the RH down under 50% is one factor that can help significantly reduce the potential for people to be exposed to mold and dust mites and help with their breathing, allergies and asthma. (Note: only 3 out of 50 families in 2008 were affected by the 08' flood)
Unlike 2008, very few of the families in 2009 had relative humidity under 40% and less than half of the families were under the recommended 50%. Because of the high RH values, families in 2009 had more recommendations relating to controlling the moisture and humidity in their homes. (Note: 18 out of 71 families in 2009 were affected significantly by the flood of 08').
During the inspections, the indoor air quality specialist makes recommendations that the families could work on fixing, so they could improve their health. The top three primary recommendations were ventilation-related, humidity-related, or sealing up cracks or holes in open sump pits and cracked foundations. Even though those were the main concerns, just moving furniture, reducing some clutter or carpet, and general housekeeping were also some of the recommendations.
Ventilation-related is a broad category and can mean alot of things. This category ranges from using bathroom and kitchen vents during cooking and showering, to opening windows one inch per occupant, to installing a Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) system.
Price categories of the recommendations the inspectors give families have a large range from being free to being quite expensive. Fortunately, as shown in above graph, the inspectors try to give reasonable and easily fixable solutions that aren't too costly. 70% of the recommendations are categorized in the affordable or free area. These recommendations include opening windows, using the vent fans people already have, clearing the cloth and cardboard from basements, reducing carpeting and clutter, cleaning off mold, sealing up cracks and sump pits, buying a CO and RH monitor, reducing use of tobacco smoke or chemicals or fragrances, un plugging dryer vents and so on.
No matter how much someone loves animals, pets can still be an asthma or allergy trigger. Most families did not own a pet with hair, but 25 families in 2009 still did. Many of the families were not sure what triggers they have and often overlook the possibility of their own pet causing their health to deteriorate.
If you're interested in seeing the final results report sent to the EPA, click here.