Press Release

Workshop addresses in-house triggers of asthma and allergies

Online workshop begins Dec. 1

WESLACO -- Those who suffer from asthma or allergies would do well to attack the source, not just the symptoms, of their illness, according to a professor at Texas A&M-Kingsville, Dr. Mani Skaria.

And in many cases, the source is not necessarily found outdoors, but in their homes, he said.

“There are environmental triggers hidden in homes that often go unnoticed,” said Skaria. “Those triggers leave asthma and allergy patients in a vicious cycle that takes them from their contaminated home, to a doctor’s office, to a pharmacy for medication, then back to their contaminated home.”

After studying asthma and allergy triggers in buildings for almost 20 years, Skaria is preparing to share his knowledge in a series of online workshops that begins Dec. 1.

The first is titled, "Learn to Do Mold and Allergen Inspection; a Hands-on Training via the Internet.” The cost is $95. Online registration is available at https://moneyconnect.tamuk.edu/C20209_ustores/web/store_main.jsp?STOREID=6 .

Subsequent workshops, which cost $195 each, include “Asthma & Allergen Control in Homes,” “House Construction Strategies for Asthma and Allergen Control,” “Asthma and Allergens in Schools: A Situation Analysis and Solutions,” and “Environmental Infection Control in HealthCare Facilities: A Hands-on Training via the Internet.”

The first, two-week workshop is designed to introduce people to the major sources and the various pathways taken by asthma and allergy triggers in the home, he said.

“The incidence of asthma and allergy in the United States is ever increasing, with the most vulnerable -- children and the elderly -- being the most affected,” he said. “Although the causes for these often debilitating illnesses can range from genetics to food allergies, many times they are due to environmental factors, meaning that the source could be in the home.”

Even if the reactions are genetic or food-related, they can be enhanced by environmental triggers, he said.

“Medications such as anti-inflammatory drugs or bronchodilators can provide some symptom relief, they do not attack the problem at its root.”

The workshop is an excellent opportunity to learn how to manage the sources of indoor air pollution, according to Janie Harris, a Texas AgriLife Extension Service housing and home environment specialist.

“The list of risks we take begins the moment we get out of bed,” she said. “Highway traffic, this and that, can all cause ill effects. But at least one danger we face, poor indoor air, is one we can do something about. We just need to learn how to manage the sources of indoor air pollution, and this class is an excellent opportunity to do that.”

Skaria’s workshop is designed to teach people how to control or even eliminate the risk factors by taking control of their home health problems and their health, he said.

“Students will learn about the numerous proactive strategies to combat the triggers, and they will learn how to collect useful technical information that will help their physicians properly treat their asthma and allergy conditions,” he said.

Parents of asthmatic children can join the class with one registration fee, Skaria said.

“This course provides hands-on training and instruction materials that are designed to produce real results,” he said. “An optional do-it-yourself sampling and analysis kit, worth several hundred dollars, will be available to those who complete the workshop at a nominal fee, but we can only make it available to the first 25 students who request it.”

For more information, contact Nora Flores at 361-593-2861, or email nora.flores@tamuk.edu .

Additional information on the workshop can be seen on You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw3M9YMrf2c

More information from AgriLife Extension on indoor air quality can be found at http://fcs.tamu.edu/housing .

 

Press Release in

Chronicle of Higher Education

A Professor's Illness Leads to a Course on Mold and Public Health.
By THOMAS BARTLETT


About 15 years ago, Mani Skaria became sick while staying at a friend's house. He assumed it was a bad cold. But as soon as he left the house he felt better. "What's going on here?" he wondered.

That question changed the focus of Mr. Skaria's academic career. 

A plant pathologist at Texas A&M University at Kingsville , he became convinced that it was mold growing in the walls of his friend's house that had made him ill. That led the professor to begin thinking about indoor-air quality and, specifically, about the effects of mold on people and buildings. "It was my lucky break," Mr. Skaria says.

He has since become an expert on the health consequences of inhaling mold. His course on the topic, "Molds, Plants, Buildings, and Public Health," was offered for the first time this fall, and links engineering and biology in a way that Mr. Skaria believes is unique.

The 17-member class is a mix of graduate and undergraduate students, most of whom are aspiring engineers. Mr. Skaria says engineering students rarely have any background in mycology -- the study of fungi -- and therefore don't take mold into account when designing a structure. He hopes to change that. "In the real world, this is a problem engineers need to address," he says. "There are not enough people out there who can see the connections."

Part of the challenge of teaching the course, Mr. Skaria says, is talking about biology in a way that engineers can understand. He focuses on the causes of mold inside buildings, like water damage and rodent droppings, along with ways to stop the fungi from spreading. Mostly, though, he says he wants students to realize that mold can be a significant health issue. 

The course is taught only online, with students watching videos of Mr. Skaria's lectures. An online discussion follows each video lecture. The professor will also meet with students in person several times during the semester.

The interest in the course has been strong. The professor says more than 30 people from around the country -- some of whom were not even enrolled at the university -- contacted him and asked how they could sign up. "I'd like to see other courses like this," he says. "It's needed."

Even though it has made him sick, Mr. Skaria has a fondness for mold that others may not appreciate. He notes its usefulness in making wine and bread. "I find it fascinating," he says.