my colleagues OP-ED write a peer feedback Reply:
When the American Dream Turns into a Nightmare: Housing and Exposure to Black Mold
If I asked you “What is the American Dream?”, your answer would probably include owning your own home, right? The satisfaction that comes with home ownership is a big part of “making it” in America. But this dream can quickly turn into a nightmare for many minorities and low-income people when water damage from flooding, natural disasters, or leaky plumbing creates a moist environment allowing black mold to creep into their homes.
Most low-income housing is in the worst sections of inner cities where sewer systems are old and dilapidated and sewage often backs up into homes when it rains. It is also often in low lying marginal areas of the city that are subject to constant flooding during heavy downpours. Natural disasters like tornadoes and hurricanes that effect these areas cause flooding, and after the waters recede, dampness creates an environment for black mold to flourish.
Residents in these areas, who barely have the necessities of life, cannot afford to repair their houses. They have little cash left over after paying for their mortgage, utilities, buying food, and paying for health care and daily living expenses.
Breathing in toxins from black mold is dangerous and has been linked to physical health issues including asthma, dermatitis, bronchitis, and upper respiratory infections. It also contributes to mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. These health problems increase the cost of healthcare for low-income people, further marginalizing them and depressing their standard of living even more.
Several studies attest to the physical health issues linked to black mold. Researcher Sebastian Bonner, along with his colleagues, found that low income and minority children who had asthma and lived in homes with mildew or mold on the walls had 3.31 times more hospitalizations, more school absences, and required more oral corticosteroids than children that did not live in such homes. Mold exposure during pregnancy is more likely to result in the development of atopic dermatitis among newborns and fetuses according to a study done by Dr. Eun Lee and colleagues from the University of Ulsan College of Medicine in South Korea.
Black mold is not just an urban problem. It is also found in rural areas. An article published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health Policy by Sarah Quandt and colleagues linked dampness, mold, and mildew in housing for migrant workers “to adverse health effects, particularly respiratory and allergic symptoms such as cough(ing), wheezing, upper respiratory symptoms, and symptoms of asthma.”
Mental health issues due to black mold have also been studied. Recent research by Jinette Comeau and colleagues found that “Inadequate housing conditions such as structural deficiencies and hazards may have a direct association with children’s mental health problems by generating physiological stress which in turn may inhibit their emotional and behavioral regulatory capacity.”
There is a cost to society for all of this. Not treating the black mold issue will result in increased costs in medical care for low-income people who are breathing in these toxic fumes. It will also increase costs of mental health services for this population dealing with depression and anxiety. This leads to a loss of productivity and contributions to society. Besides the economic costs, there is a moral obligation to help people in our communities who are living in such substandard conditions that their mental and physical health is affected.
It is difficult to identify housing with black mold since assessments of the adequacy of the housing stock in low-income areas is rarely, if ever, done. The only way this problem surfaces is when a person reaches out for help for other reasons such as food, clothing, or medical assistance for a mental or physical health problem.
Public health departments and community organizations need to take steps to address the black mold issue. They need to do the following:
1). Educate low- income homeowners about steps they can take to reduce mold and mildew in their homes.
2). Educate professionals who counsel people in areas prone to water damage who live in substandard housing about how to identify black mold and eradicate it.
3). Develop programs to provide money to treat housing that is affected by black mold and repair plumbing and other structural defects that cause dampness and moist environments.
4). Educate people in the medical field and first responders who come in contact with the low-income population to recognize symptoms resulting from black mold inhalation and work with health department officials who can intervene.
We can’t ignore this issue. We need to address black mold in housing to ensure that the most vulnerable portion of the population is not harmed even more by living in substandard housing.
The word count for this op-ed is 778 words.
This op-ed is meant to educate the general public about black mold in housing that is a serious health concern for the low-income and minority population and requires health departments and community organizations to address it.
The intended audience is the general public who read newspapers.
Reference list:
Azuma, K. Ikeda, K. Kagi,N et al (2014) Effects of water-damaged homes after flooding: Heath status the environmental risk factor. International Journal of Environmental Health Research. 24(2). 158-175
Bonner,S. Matte, T. Fagan, J. (2006). Self-reported moisture or mildew in homes of head start children with asthma is associated with greater asthma morbidity. Journal of Urban Health 83 (1) 129-137
Comeau, J. Duncan, C. Smith et al (2021). The joint association of family – level inadequate housing and neighborhood-level anti-social behavior with child mental health problems. Children and Youth Service Review
Mulchandai, R. Armstrong,B. et al (2020) The English National Cohort Study of Flooding & Health: Psychological morbidity at three years of follow up BMC Public Health 20(1) 1-7
Quandt, S. Brooke, C. Fagen, K. (2015) Farmworker housing in the United States and its impact on health. New Solutions. 25(3) 263-286
