Could Your Pittsburgh Home Be Making Your Family Sick?

Local environmental groups have long focused attention and research dollars on Pittsburgh’s poor outdoor air quality and how it affects the well-being of our residents. But something we often fail to discuss is the toll that poor indoor air quality in homes, schools, and businesses takes on our health. 

Americans spend up to 90% of their time indoors, where they are commonly exposed to chronic low levels of various biological, chemical, and material toxins. Though everyone is exposed to indoor air pollution, residents of Pittsburgh face special challenges. Children, the elderly, and those with certain pre-existing health conditions are at the highest risk.

Source: cskt.org

Pittsburgh's Indoor Air Threats

Why should Pittsburgh residents pay special attention to indoor air pollutants? Research has shown that negative health effects from air pollution (indoor or outdoor) are cumulative. Continual exposure to environmental pollutants can be very serious even at levels below the National Ambient Air Quality Standards of America (NAAQS). Because the American Lung Association ranks Pittsburgh’s outdoor air quality among the least healthy in the country, residents and businesses should do everything they can to ensure healthy indoor environments.

The other reason that local residents should be especially concerned is because Pittsburgh's geography and old housing stock mean that we face exposures to more asbestos, lead, and radon than people in other areas might. Serious health risks of these indoor pollutants include:

• Asthma
• Cancer
• Heart and lung disease
• Neurodevelopmental disorders

Below is an overview of common regional pollutants that may be lurking in your indoor air and a discussion of how they may be affecting the health of you and your family.

Asbestos 

Asbestos is a mineral fiber that was commonly added to a variety of products to provide strength, insulation, and heat resistance. Until the late 1970s, asbestos could be found in many types of building materials including roofing, paint, walls, floors, and pipes. There are different types of asbestos and each has a different appearance. Below is an asbestos-containing insulated heating pipe typical in older homes:

Source: pittsburghhomeinspector.com

Left alone, asbestos is not known to be hazardous. However, repairs and remodels may disturb asbestos and release its dangerous fibers into the air, where they can be inhaled. Asbestos inhalation is associated with several serious diseases:

• Asbestosis: scarring of the lungs that leads to cough, chest pain, and difficulty breathing
• Pleural changes or plaques: hardening of the lining of the chest cavity resulting in difficulty breathing 
• Lung cancer
• Mesothelioma: a rare cancer involving the covering of the lungs and lining of abdominal cavity

Because Pennsylvania ranks third in the nation for having the most homes built before 1950, it is reasonable to assume that many older homes in our area have asbestos-containing materials; homeowners of old homes should be particularly cautious. Indeed, government statistics rank Allegheny County 15th highest in the country for asbestos-related deaths. Each black dot on the map of Pennsylvania below represents an asbestos-related death; note the cluster in Pittsburgh. 

Source: Environmental Working Group

Lead

Another concern related to Pittsburgh’s older housing stock is lead. Lead is a naturally occurring element that can be harmful when inhaled or ingested. Many homes built prior to 1978 contain lead-based paint. Like asbestos, lead paint is not hazardous if left undisturbed. However, remodeling or other home repairs may release lead dust. 

Additionally, chipped or cracked areas, or painted areas that undergo a lot of wear and tear like windowsills and doors may release lead into the indoor environment. Another potential hazard in homes built before 1986 is lead water pipes; in time these can corrode and release lead into drinking water. There are plenty of other sources of lead too. One study found that 64% of older bathtubs have leachable lead in surface paint:

Source: Ideal Home Garden

Children and adults are at risk from lead poisoning, though children under the age of 6 are particularly susceptible to the health effects, which include:

• Behavior and learning problems
• Lower IQ 
• Hyperactivity
• Slowed growth
• Hearing problems
• Irritability
• Anemia
• Seizures
• Coma
• Death

Health effects in adults include:

• Neurological, motor, and reproductive issues 
• Hearing and vision loss
• High blood pressure
• Impaired fetal development (even at low levels)

Pittsburgh ranks 28th on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) list of the 129 cities with the highest number of children estimated to have elevated lead blood levels. Also, many children in Allegheny County belong to high-risk groups for elevated lead levels because they live in poverty or live in dwellings built before 1950. 

Source: EPA

Radon

Radon is an odorless, tasteless, naturally occurring radioactive gas formed from the decay of uranium, which is found in small amounts in rocks and soil. Radon gas typically sneaks into a home by moving up through the ground and into the structure through cracks and other holes in the foundation. Your home traps radon inside, where it can build up. Radon is a serious health risk as it known to cause cancer; in fact, it is the leading cause of cancer in non-smokers.

Source: Radon CA

Any home, regardless of age or structure type, can have a radon problem. Radon is a particular concern in our region because Pennsylvania is part of the so-called “radon belt,” which is a geographic area that stretches wide across the US. The red-colored areas designated as "Zone 1" are regions that are predicted to have elevated, unsafe average indoor radon levels.

Source: EPA

Unfortunately, residents of Pittsburgh and the rest of Allegheny County are in the potentially unhealthy red zone, as you can see in this detailed map of Pennsylvania:

Source: EPA

So, what is an acceptable level of radon? While there is no “safe” level of radon, experts recommend fixing a home if the radon level is 4 pCi/L (picocuries per liter) or higher. Even this level may pose a health risk, however, and can usually be reduced to 2 pCi/L or less.

Nationally, the average indoor radon level is estimated to be about 1.3 pCi/L. The unsettling news for Pittsburgh residents is that average indoor radon levels in Allegheny County are 6.6 pCi/L. Confused? The chart below may help.  

Source: National Radon Defense

Other concerning statistics include:

• An estimated 40% of Pennsylvania homes have radon levels greater than the EPA guideline of 4 pCi/L.
  
• About 270,000 single homes in Pennsylvania, with about 750,000 occupants, are expected to have radon levels greater than 20 pCi/L (over five times greater than the EPA action level of 4 pCi/L).
  
• Only about 10% of homes in Pennsylvania have been tested for radon.
• Estimated lung cancer deaths per year in Pennsylvania due to residential radon exposure are between 860 - 3,800.

What You Can Do

The good news for Pittsburgh residents is that all of these indoor air quality issues can usually be avoided and corrected, but they must be found before the damage to our health takes hold. Education of homeowners and contractors is essential in avoiding asbestos and lead exposures. Universal lead screenings are also recommended for our region’s children. Radon testing is relatively easy and inexpensive to do, and radon mitigation works to decrease levels to healthy standards.

While not particular to Pittsburgh, given our high levels of asthma, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, residents should also be aware of how other indoor air pollutants affect health. Particulate matter, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, biological pollutants, and smoke from wood burning and cigarettes are just some of the issues that should be addressed in an effort to raise awareness and improve our region’s health.