150034 Home Environmental Health Risks of People with Developmental Disabilities

Wednesday, November 7, 2007: 2:30 PM

Allison Del Bene Davis, PhD, RN , School of Nursing, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD
People with developmental disabilities are recognized as a vulnerable population and are frequently at increased risk due to their physical, social, economic and societal disparities. Despite these vulnerabilities, the regulations that govern community-based residential settings for the developmentally disabled provide little oversight with regard to home environmental health hazards such as lead, mercury, carbon monoxide, pesticides, radon and volatile organic compounds. Minimal data are available about the environmental health risks experienced by people in residential settings for the developmentally disabled and about how the behaviors and choices of support staff affect the indoor air quality in these residences.

This study assessed the home characteristics, household behaviors and practices that place people with developmental disabilities at health risk from environmental hazards in their homes. Homes (N=57) run by three major service providers of residential services for the developmentally disabled in Anne Arundel County, Maryland were selected using random stratified sampling for evaluation. A survey and a home environmental assessment conducted by an observational walk-through of each home were used to assess the presence of neurotoxicants such as lead and mercury in the home, protective devices such as carbon monoxide detectors and radon testing, and the use of behaviors and practices that contribute to indoor pollution from pesticides, environmental tobacco smoke and cleaning products.

This Presentation will focus of the results of the study, tools for assessing home environmental health risks in homes as well as community-based residential settings, and proactive steps that can be taken to reduce home environmental health risks.

Learning Objectives:
1. To identify the unique vulnerabilities of people with developmental disabilities to hazards in the environment. 2. To understand what types of environmental health risks can exist in the ALU or group home setting as well as other residential settings such as assisted living, and what types of tools are available to the nurses to assess for these risks. 3. To understand how the household behaviors and practices of support staff and agencies can affect indoor air quality and environmental health hazards in the home environment.

Keywords: Vulnerable Populations, Environmental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.