Household mold exposure is widespread throughout the United States but disproportionately impacts low-income communities who may live with suboptimal housing conditions. Molds can release spores, fragments, and toxins into the air which, when inhaled, can lead to respiratory responses, even at low concentrations. Meta-analyses confirm that mold is causally linked to both the development and exacerbation of asthma. Disproportionate household exposure to known asthma risk factors like mold is an environmental injustice.
Climate change likely contributes (and will continue to contribute to) household mold disparities, since low-income and historically marginalized populations are disproportionately exposed to and impacted by climate-driven exposures like flooding.
In my work, I am interested in documenting the dual-overlap between extreme events and mold growth to highlight the indirect effects of climate change on health.
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Hurricane Sandy in NYC, an example of the domestic fungal exposure impacts of a changing climate
In preparation
Hurricane Sandy brought excessive rainfall to Northeastern states – flooding over 300,000 NYC homes. Following the storms, mold growth became a huge public health concern. Our research team used polymerase chain reaction and genome sequencing methodologies to compare fungal profiles of homes of asthmatic children damaged and not damaged by the storms. We linked this information on the fungal exposures to health consequences using questionnaires, serum samples, and physician administered lung function and airway inflammation testing. Results of these analyses are forthcoming.
An equity-focused evaluation of a system-wide intervention to reduce mold in NYC public housing and its impact on asthma burden
Analyses forthcoming
In response to inequitable household mold exposures, multiple environmental and social justice organizations filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of residents suffering from asthma due to NYCHA’s failure to remove mold and excessive moisture in their apartments. In response, NYCHA and the plaintiffs created what came to be known as ‘Mold Busters’– a comprehensive intervention to improve mold remediation. In September of 2023, I was awarded an F31 to assess the impact of this intervention on asthma morbidity through environmental and climate justice lenses. Analyses are forthcoming.
Severe weather and mold
Analyses forthcoming
Through the ‘Mold Busters’ collaboration, we have data on NYCHA household mold complaints from 2016-2024 which I have linked to meteorological data. Through this linkage, I aim to quantify the dual burden of climate vulnerability and fungal growth among NYCHA residents both before and after the ‘Mold Busters’ intervention. Analyses are forthcoming.