Master Home Environmentalist Program

The Master Home Environmentalist© (MHE©) program is an innovative approach to addressing issues of indoor pollution that can acerbate asthma, damage a person''s health and the environment. It is efficient to assess exposure to pesticides, allergens, molds, tobacco smoke, lead, and home chemicals in one visit rather than through separate programs and an integrated in-home intervention may help to reduce total exposure to many pollutants.

The MHE program trains volunteers to visit homes at no cost and to assist residents in assessing and managing environmental health problems. The MHE volunteer utilizes a survey form called the Home Environmental Assessment List© (HEAL©) to identify potential problems and develop, in conjunction with the resident, an action plan to reduce exposure to pollutants. The personalized action plan can lead to steps such as use of efficient vacuums and quality door mats, shoe removal at the door, ventilation, integrated pest management, and allergen control. Most of these measures are low cost. Some measures to improve ventilation and control moisture may require some time and money to implement. In a study published in Environmental Health Perspectives, Oct. 1997, in 87% of the homes visited, at least one behavior change was made and in 80% of the homes, there was a perceived health beneifit.

Indoor pollution has been identified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board (EPA, 1987, 1990) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC, 1991) as a high environmental risk. And according to the EPA, currently we spend about 90% of our time indoors and our indoor air can be up to five times as polluted as our outdoor air. The problems with exposure to pollutants in the home often are not addressed due to lack of awareness of their prevalence and significance. Home pollutant exposure may result in asthma, retarded growth, learning disabilities, allergies, cancer, lung disease, symptoms of sick building syndrome, and other illnesses.. Important new information about the alarming rise in childhood asthma cases and hospitalizations has added new urgency to addressing indoor pollution.

In a study published in Environmental Health Perspectives, 87% of the homes visited made at least one behavior change and in 80% of the homes, there was a perceived health beneifit.