1. Healthy Homes in Rural Alaska
AJ Salkoski
Project Manager
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium

2. Map Introduction Background Principles of a Healthy Home
Working Toward Healthier Homes
Impact
Take Home

3. Introduction Who we are…
The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC)
Largest tribally managed health organization in the nation
Vision: Alaska Native people are the healthiest people in the world
Mission: Providing the highest quality health services in partnership with our people and the Alaska Tribal Health System

4. Introduction Environmental Health Field Environmental Health Program
Air Quality Program
Tribal Response Program (Brownfields)
Water, Sanitation & Hygiene
Research & Special Projects

5. Map Introduction Background Principles of a Healthy Home
Working Toward Healthier Homes
Impact
Take Home

6. Background
ANTHC Environmental Health received a request from a pulmonologist and created healthy homes study to determine the relationship between the home environment and children’s respiratory health
Our goal is to improve the respiratory health of Alaska Native children, and provide a model to be used in indigenous communities throughout North America

7. Respiratory Health
Alaska Native children have some of the highest rates of respiratory illness ever documented
Causes
Poor indoor air quality
Lack of in-home piped water services

8. Map Introduction Background Principles of a Healthy Home
Working Toward Healthier Homes
Impact
Take Home

9. What are the 7 Principles?
Contaminant-Free
Ventilated
Dry
Safe
Maintained
Clean
Pest-Free

10. How Can We Keep Our Homes Contaminant-Free?
Behaviors include:
Keep Fuels, Chemicals, and SMOKING outdoors
Remove Carhartts, Smoking Jackets, and Snowsuits in the arctic entry
Burn only dry wood and kindling in the woodstove
Use chemicals as labeled and only when necessary
Ventilate, Ventilate, Ventilate

11. Contaminant-Free

12. How Can We Keep Our Homes Ventilated?
Opportunities Include:
Keep Passive Vents Open
Keep the HRV Turned ON
Use the Bathroom/Range Exhausts
Routinely Clean Filters

13. Ventilated
Photo: byggmax.com

14. How Can We Keep Our Homes Dry?
Controlling Moisture Levels Includes:
Monitor the %RH (30-50%)
Use the range exhaust when cooking on the stove
Avoid boiling water on the stove when not cooking
Dry up spills, floods, and/or fix leaks

15. Dry
The key to a dry home is proper ventilation, humidity control, cleaning up moisture

16. Map Introduction Background Principles of a Healthy Home
Working Toward Healthier Homes
Impact
Take Home

17. Steps
Identify homes with children that have chronic respiratory illness
Assess the home for indoor air quality concerns
Modify the home to correct indoor air quality concerns
Monitor air quality before and after modification

18. Air Sampling Particulate Matter 2.5 Volatile Organic Compounds
Carbon Dioxide
Temperature
Relative Humidity
Carbon Monoxide

19. New and/or Improved Vents
Ventilation intake plugged
with a rag
New ventilation intake
Was a shirt a in the vent, now it is being used properly and happily

20. Cooking Stove Exhaust Installed
Cooking stove with a new range exhaust
Cooking stove with no range exhaust

21. Woodstove Replacement
New EPA-certified, low-emission woodstove
Old woodstove

22. Map Introduction Background Principles of a Healthy Home
Working Toward Healthier Homes
Impact
Take Home

23. Summary of Air Quality Results
CO2 (-26%)
VOCs (-68%)
PM2.5 (-21%)
Naaman Tomaganuk,
Housing Crew Member

24. Limitations for Health Data Results
Health data is only from residents reported lung health questionnaires of 2 week intervals
Administered at initial contact, immediately before home modifications, 2 weeks, 3 months, & 1 year after home modifications
Health data will be collected from chart reviews for clinic visits and hospitalizations
Administered 1 year before and 1 year after home modifications
School absences data will come from questionnaires and will not be verified through school records

25. Health Impact Observed Changes (30 homes): Cold or Runny Nose (-23.0%)
School absence from breathing problems
(-27.3%)
Clinic visits for respiratory
(18 before, 9 after)
Hospitalization for respiratory
(7 before, 0 after)

26. Behavior Changes Continued to use ventilation
Determined ways to ventilate without making the home too cold
Stopped working on engines in the home
Became conscious of burning dry wood

27. Preliminary Results
Based on the results presented in the previous slides. We can conclude the following:
Air quality was improved
Fewer reported school absences, clinic visits, and hospitalizations from respiratory illness
Residents were willing to change behaviors

28. Map Introduction Background Principles of a Healthy Home
Working Toward Healthier Homes
Impact
Take Home

29. Takeaways We can make our homes healthier
Keep contaminants out of the home
Ventilate the home (Let the house breathe)
Breathing cleaner air can contribute to better health

30. Questions?