THUNDER BAY — Nishnawbe Aski Nation says a report that links health issues to poor indoor air quality shows why it's urgent that the federal government do more to improve housing in First Nations communities.
The report is based on research conducted in four Northwestern Ontario First Nations – Lac Seul, Kasabonika Lake, Sandy Lake and Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug.
The study's authors said their assessment confirmed previous surveys that found many homes on First Nations need major repairs and are poorly situated, leaving them prone to flooding and water penetration.
Wet and mouldy crawlspaces were common in the houses they looked at.
"Inequalities and underfunding have resulted in houses that are poorly constructed and of insufficient size, with inadequate funding for maintenance and upkeep. With the loss of integrity of the air and vapour barrier, overcrowding, inadequate ventilation and indoor storage of firewood, contamination with mould and endotoxin was common, with high interior SAM [surface area of mould] and extraordinarily elevated endotoxin loading," the team said.
Endotoxins come from bacteria, and can induce inflammation and fever.
The report said exposure to endotoxins was associated with wheezing with colds and tended to be associated with lower respiratory tract infections, whereas mould tended to be associated with upper respiratory tract infections.
One-quarter of 98 children three years old or younger whose health records were reviewed for the study were medically evacuated for respiratory illness.
Twenty-one per cent of them were admitted to hospital in the first two years of life.
Eighty-five per cent of houses that were studied lacked controlled ventilation, over half had damaged windows, 44 per cent showed water penetration in exterior walls, and six per cent had immediate safety issues.
The study team concluded that increased housing stock appropriate for local geographic, climatic and cultural needs should be matched to solutions that are First Nations-led and governed.
"Economic opportunity, elimination of food insecurity and provision of potable water will allow communities and residents to apply more resources to the upkeep of existing houses. Such measures will improve the overall health of First Nations peoples, particularly vulnerable family members, such as children and elders," they said.
The study was published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
It was co-authored by pediatric respirologist Dr. Tom Kovesi of the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, and by Michael McKay, the director of infrastructure and housing for Nishnawbe Aski Nation.
The study was conducted in partnership with the Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre and the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority.
NAN Grand Chief Derek Fox said "We have known for years that the quality of health and housing are linked, and we now have solid data to support this."
Fox called on the federal government to work with NAN to act on the study's findings.
