Issue link: https://hi.iaq.net/i/191637
Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health 170 CLIMATE CHANGE, THE INDOOR ENVIRONMENT, AND HEALTH sures to pests, but research on the question is lacking. It should be noted, however, that data collected as part of the National Survey of Lead and Allergens in Housing (Cohn et al., 2004) and National Cooperative InnerCity Asthma Study (Phipatanakul et al., 2000a,b; Platts-Mills et al., 2007; Pongracic et al., 2008) do not indicate that there are appreciable geographic differences in mouse allergen levels measured indoors. It is thus unclear whether climate variations may have an effect on rodent infestations. Pest Controls Several factors may cause pesticide exposure to increase under conditions of climate change. Higher temperatures may lead to increased numbers of structural, agricultural, and forest insect pests (Boxall et al., 2009; Quarles, 2007). Water and storm damage may expand opportunities for pests to invade the indoor environment (Brennan, 2010). And damage caused by flooding and an increase in available water or moisture could create environments that are more hospitable to pests and increase the capacity of buildings to support infestations. All those circumstances are likely to lead to greater residential and agricultural use of pesticides to control increasing populations of insects, rodents, and other disease vectors and thus to a greater risk of exposures of populations. Vulnerable Populations Some communities appear to be at greater risk for indoor pesticide exposure than others. In the United States, urban communities are particularly at risk. In New York state, a study found that the heaviest application of pesticides occurred not in agricultural counties but in the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn (Thier et al., 1998). Some 93% of residents in public housing in New York City reported applying pesticides in their homes, and more than half said that they did so once a week ( urgan et al., 2002). Bradman et al. (2005) found that rodent infestation S in homes increased in the presence of peeling paint, water damage, and high residential density, and the use of pesticides is common in communities that have adverse housing conditions. Extensive work in the past decade has demonstrated the presence of pesticides in urban house dust and addressed the risk of exposure to these chemicals in vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and children. Such factors as multifamily dwellings, leaky buildings that allow pests to come into the indoor environment, and home ownership influence the likelihood of pesticide use (Julien et al., 2008). Although regular application of chemical pesticides, some of which include banned or restricted products, may be used to combat severe infestation, the methods are often deemed ineffective. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.