LEED-certified housing: Impact on respiratory health

Purpose: This prospective study assessed the respiratory health impact of moving into a LEED platinum-certified building on families in the South Bronx.

Methods: A comprehensive respiratory health survey was given to eligible tenants initially in their former residences. Follow-up assessments were given 6, 12, and 18 months after moving into Melrose Commons V, the first affordable LEED platinum-certified building in New York State. An educational module about asthma triggers and remedies was given 9 months after move-in. Prior to the education module a survey was given about baseline knowledge, this same survey was repeated at the 18 month visit to assess retention of knowledge and change in behavioral practices.

Results: The comprehensive survey demonstrated: 1) A consistent decrease in the mean number of days with respiratory symptoms in the past month across all 4 surveys (p-value 0.0544). 2) The mean number of nights with disrupted sleeping in the past month was decreased when compared to baseline across the 3 post-move surveys (p-value 0.0283). 3) The mean number of urgent visits for asthma symptoms in the past 3 months was decreased when compared to baseline across the 3 post-move surveys (p-value 0.0376). 4) The percentage of participants that reported continuous symptoms throughout the day decreased across all 4 surveys (p-value < 0.001).

The results from the education module demonstrated a significant improvement (p-value 0.007) in the number of correct responses at the 18 months relative to 9 months. The participants on average changed 2 behaviors in their lifestyle with use of hypoallergenic mattress covers and use of “green” cleaning products being the 2 most common changes.

Conclusion: Findings support the potential beneficial effect of LEED-certified buildings on respiratory health. These design standards may have the most impact in low-income, multi-ethnic, urban communities, which often have high asthma rates.