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Orange County Habitat for Humanity talks home, health and safety in a new panel series - The Daily Tar Heel <br />https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2019/09/habitat-housing-healthcare-panel-0906[9/9/2019 7:08:59 PM] <br />windows and exposure to lead and other toxic chemicals. <br />This discussion was the first of a panel series, called Home is the Key, which is being hosted in <br />celebration of its 35th anniversary. The series will continue through October and November with two more <br />panel discussions. <br />“I would say it affects almost all of the patients that I see in one way or another,” said Dr. Ceila Loughlin, <br />medical director of the N.C. Children’s Allergy & Asthma Center. “Mold is a big one, but then <br />cockroaches and rodents can also affect children with asthma.” <br />Krishnaveni Balakrishnan, coordinator for the Orange County Health Department's Healthy Homes <br />initiative, is a certified inspector who conducts house visits. Balakrishnan said during these inspections, <br />she searches for potential health hazards, such as mold, improper drainage, pests and vermin as well as wet <br />spots on the ceiling. <br />EDITORS PICKS <br />Student Governmentlaunches Red Zone Initiativeto battle sexual assault oncampus <br />Where do 2020 presidentialcandidates stand on studentdebt? <br />UNC men’s soccer ‘lockedin’ for 6-0 win over Harvard <br />“Usually there’s the telltale sign,” Balakrishnan said. “Usually what I ask the family as well is, ‘Are you <br />having any issues breathing? Have you been to the hospital lately or have anything related to asthma?’” <br />Balakrishnan said a common issue she finds is that landlords don’t take care of the property or handle <br />hazardous situations properly. <br />“One of the homes that I actually looked at last year was a family of five that had just moved to <br />Greensboro, and the home was beautiful, but the landlord had not been keeping up the property,” <br />Balakrishnan said. “When they moved, they didn’t know that he had painted over all of the mold that was <br />in the house.” <br />Two weeks after the family moved into the house, the walls began to turn dark green, causing them to <br />have allergies and breathing problems.