As climate change is predicted to increase global temperatures, humidity, and rain, researchers studying the public health effects of mold and chemical intolerance say the associated water damage (via flooding and humidity) will potentially make mold illness more prevalent. (Of note: Lower-income residents are especially at risk for water damage and mold-health problems, as they’re more likely to live in poorly constructed homes in low-lying areas, and have less money to repair mold-damaged homes, per Peccia’s research.)Harvard University researchers are also exploring how changing weather patterns could make certain wood-framed residential buildings found in places like Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. more susceptible to mold growth in the future.
“We’ve built buildings based on a narrow definition of historic climate,” says Holly Samuelson, DDes, an associate professor of architecture at Harvard Graduate School of Design who researches the impacts of building design on human and environmental health. “What’s going to happen when climates shift?”
Rick Bayless, an environmental home health investigator in the southern Appalachians, says he’s already seeing an increasing number of damp homes and mold growth due to rain events.
“Buildings can’t keep up with weather conditions they weren’t built to address,” Bayless says. “We need better building guidelines.”
Right now, he says, building codes don’t do much to protect people who are environmentally sensitive.