“You are what you eat” is a well known phrase that ties human well-being to healthy food. The deterioration of America’s public housing in particular has added another important qualifier to health of tenants: “you are what you breathe.” Air quality can also play a significant part in human health.
Mould problems in public housing are these days a constant source of air quality complaints. They often go unheeded for months, even years. Moulds are an important part of the natural ecosystem and can be found anywhere and everywhere. Not surprising then, that most people are tolerant of most moulds. But for a significant minority, particularly asthma sufferers, moulds can have a serious impact on their health.
Now a report from the universities of Brown and Harvard adds a further dimension to this cause for ill-health: “you are the colour of your skin.” Rather than a racial susceptibility to breathing difficulties however, this appears to be founded in prejudice.
Ten years of tenant reports to the City of Boston’s Inspectional Services Department formed a backbone of the Brown/Harvard study.
It revealed that redress of air quality problems in Black and Latino households systematically either lagged or was ignored compared to those reported from white neighbourhoods. As the researchers point out, under these circumstances, race and skin colour become an entirely unacceptable determinant of ill-health.
Read more in PATIENT ENGAGEMENT HIT: City Management of Housing Quality Fuels Racial Health Disparities
The full study results have just been published in Health Affairs, which requires a subscription. The abstract includes links to the study’s authors, should readers wish to follow up: Unequal Housing Conditions And Code Enforcement Contribute To Asthma Disparities In Boston, Massachusetts
