1166598 - Bay Area Healthy Homes Initiative: A Blueprint for a Comprehensive Approach to Address Cumulative Air Pollution Exposure in Overburdened Communities

This panel will present on the different aspects of a comprehensive initiative to improve the health outcomes of residents in communities overburdened by air pollution. A substantial body of research indicates that short-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution is associated with exacerbation of pre-existing asthma symptoms while long-term exposure can contribute to new-onset asthma in both children and adults. On average, San Francisco Bay Area neighborhoods with higher percentages of residents of color experience double the rate of asthma from traffic-related air pollution compared with predominantly white neighborhoods. For example, asthma emergency department visits in Contra Costa County are 2-3 times higher among African Americans, higher among children, and 1.5-2 times higher in the low-income population. Recommended treatment of air pollution-related asthma consists of avoiding exposure to outdoor air emissions in addition to any other asthma triggers inside the home. In fact, researchers have estimated that eliminating home-based asthma triggers, if causally associated, would reduce up to 44% of asthma diagnoses among children and adolescents.

The Bay Area Healthy Homes Initiative builds on an existing pilot project in Contra Costa County and seeks to expand it to new regions in the Bay Area. It seeks to improve health outcomes for residents living in communities disproportionately impacted by air pollution by integrating multiple interventions that address cumulative air pollution burden. To achieve this, the Air District is partnering with public health departments, regional agencies, and non-profit organizations to:
1) provide in-home asthma education and identification of asthma triggers for low-income, high-risk asthma patients;
2) implement home retrofit improvements that address these asthma triggers and reduce participants’ exposure to outdoor air pollution sources such as automobile exhaust and wildfire smoke; and
3) quantify and document benefits of home retrofits on indoor air quality and participants’ health and well-being.

These indoor air quality data can help demonstrate the multiple benefits and cost-effectiveness associated with these interventions, paving the way for this program to serve as a model for future adoption in other regions.