Federal agencies start summit on healthy homes

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Updated document.write(niceDate('9/14/2008 8:48 PM'));1d 5h ago

By Koch, USA TODAY

The U.S. government is ramping up efforts to

promote the building of healthy homes free of lead, chemicals, mold,

moisture and pests.

Four federal agencies are hosting the first

national summit on the topic, beginning Monday in Baltimore. Several

U.S.-funded studies will be unveiled that show how renovations in

Cleveland, Seattle and New Orleans lowered the risk of asthma and other

health problems for residents.

" Health doesn't happen in the hospital. It

happens at home, " says Gerberding, director of the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention. " Our goal isn't to be Big Brother, but

people are asking for advice and information. "

The healthy-home initiative has been growing for

a decade, prompted largely by a push to remove lead from homes. It's

merging with efforts to build energy-efficient homes.

" We're trying to build a consensus among

environmentalists, builders and health advocates, " says Jon Gant, head

of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of

Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control.

" We've hit a home run with lead, " says Gant,

noting that the number of kids with lead poisoning fell from 890,000 in

1992 to 310,00 in 2002. He says the U.S. government wants to use what's

been learned about lead abatement to tackle other health problems.

This week's three-day summit is likely to draw

more than a thousand participants — the largest gathering of people

working to make homes healthier, says Morley, executive

director of the National Center for Healthy Housing, a non-profit

group.

" We have more people at higher levels interested

in this, " she says, but she adds that the government has yet to

substantially increase funding.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is

using existing funds to develop a program, Indoor Air Package, that

will give homes a seal of approval if they use certain building

techniques to protect against radon, pests and pollutants.

The package, in use in five states, will be

launched nationally as early as next year, says Tom , director of

the EPA's indoor air program. He says it builds on the EPA's Energy

Star program, which began in 1992 to promote efficient appliances.

says he wants to ensure that energy efficiency is achieved without

sacrificing health.

A report this month by Morley's group found that

all major green-building programs, including those of the EPA and the

U.S. Green Building Council, have features designed to improve resident

health but do not include injury prevention.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-09-14-healthyhome_N.htm?csp=34