New HUD report says 1/3 of homes in U.S. pose health risk

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Survey: One-third of US homes pose health risk

September 24, 2009

A new report shows one-third of all homes across the country have problems that

could pose a health risk.

The National Center for Healthy Housing says an

estimated 5.7 million U.S. families live in substandard housing and

that the most common problem is the water leak. Leaks lead to mold,

which can aggravate allergies and asthma.

The group says poor indoor air -- another big problem -- causes up to 40 percent

of asthma. In the latest polling, 36 percent of homes reported some kind of

problem.

Ron Sims, the deputy secretary of Housing and Urban

Development saw this and said, " It's a wake-up call. You can't be

healthy if your house is sick. "

Oakland, San Francisco and New York had the lowest rates

of healthy homes in the survey. The Salt Lake City-Ogden area was

listed as fair; ranked 32nd out of 45 cities.

The website says the purpose of the State of Healthy

Housing is " to alert policymakers and advocates about the housing

conditions in their communities... increase awareness of

housing-related health hazards and provide the basis for additional

investment in affordable, healthy housing. "

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