Resilient Responses to Protect Lung Health in Nunavik
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
Department Name: Civil Environmental and Geomatic Eng
Abstract
The potential impact of anthropogenic climate change on lung health is a "threat no less consequential than cigarette smoking". 1
The lung health-related impact of climate change is already being felt in the Inuit Nunangat region of Nunavik, Quebec. The need to mitigate impacts of climate change on lung health is particularly urgent in Nunavik due to the region's existing vulnerabilities with respect to respiratory diseases- vulnerabilities rooted in social determinants of health and historical injustices, and whose impact is amplified by health service infrastructure gaps that represent a major disparity between Nunavik and the rest of Quebec. Our project addresses Theme 2 of the CINUK Call for Research Proposals, "Mitigations & Adaptations for Resilience." The two cross-cutting issues addressed are Inuit community health & well-being, and Resilience and sustainability. Our diverse coalition of researchers and community partners will interweave three streams of research activities, taking place in parallel: (1) community-based participatory research and implementation science methods are applied to design a Community Lung Health Programme with community members addressing lung health through a holistic biosocial paradigm; (2) engineering, microbiology, and epidemiologic methods are leveraged to develop a protocol that the Community Lung Health Programme can use to accurately measure built-environment-related
determinants of lung health, and identify at-risk housing stock; (3) scoping and systematic review methods, and a pilot study, are applied to evaluate emerging technologies for point-of-care diagnosis or monitoring of respiratory diseases to reduce medical travel out of region.
The lung health-related impact of climate change is already being felt in the Inuit Nunangat region of Nunavik, Quebec. The need to mitigate impacts of climate change on lung health is particularly urgent in Nunavik due to the region's existing vulnerabilities with respect to respiratory diseases- vulnerabilities rooted in social determinants of health and historical injustices, and whose impact is amplified by health service infrastructure gaps that represent a major disparity between Nunavik and the rest of Quebec. Our project addresses Theme 2 of the CINUK Call for Research Proposals, "Mitigations & Adaptations for Resilience." The two cross-cutting issues addressed are Inuit community health & well-being, and Resilience and sustainability. Our diverse coalition of researchers and community partners will interweave three streams of research activities, taking place in parallel: (1) community-based participatory research and implementation science methods are applied to design a Community Lung Health Programme with community members addressing lung health through a holistic biosocial paradigm; (2) engineering, microbiology, and epidemiologic methods are leveraged to develop a protocol that the Community Lung Health Programme can use to accurately measure built-environment-related
determinants of lung health, and identify at-risk housing stock; (3) scoping and systematic review methods, and a pilot study, are applied to evaluate emerging technologies for point-of-care diagnosis or monitoring of respiratory diseases to reduce medical travel out of region.
Organisations
Publications
Aktas Y D
(2023)
Housing-related determinants of lung health in Nunavik, Canada
Efthymiopoulos S
(2024)
BSRIA Topic Guide: Mould in Buildings (TG 26/2024)
Efthymiopoulos S
(2024)
Indoor environmental quality in the context of Nunavik housing
| Description | The housing team worked with the local housing bureau throughout to reflect the problems they have observed and their experience in handling these onto the design of a multi-method testing programme able to capture an extensive set of indoor environmental quality indicators. These data were supplemented by the residents' own reported problems, challenges and perceptions of their homes. It is through this multifaceted and Inuit-specific approach we were able to holistically address the housing related determinants of indoor environmental quality. Despite the difficulties with fieldtrip logistics and recruiting, the team developed a comprehensive database which underpins the roadmap for the maintenance and upkeep of the housing stock under the responsibility of the NHB. The team also developed building performance models to examine the expected changes in the indoor environmental quality indicators, including mould, under future climates for different housing typologies. |
| Exploitation Route | Through the housing team activities, the NHB will have the local capacity to appraise the homes' propensity to lead to poor indoor environmental quality and triage the cases with more severe implications. Beyond the immediate context of this particular project, our findings can inform the challenges and opportunities in relation to the IEQ in Nordic homes. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy Construction Energy Healthcare |
| Description | The Obj 2 team's immediate outcomes of this research are (1) a consolidated and extensive dataset from homes in Kuujjuaq, with elevated results highlighted as and when possible, (2) results in relation to the correlations between housing and occupancy related characteristics of the tested homes and the tested outcomes, and (3) building performance modelling to underpin our conclusions as to how the indoor environmental quality indicators are expected to change under future climates. All this, in close collaboration, capacity sharing and co-development with the NHB, will underpin their future efforts to maintain and develop their housing, and will equip them with a more informed ability to prioritise some housing problems over others, leading to a heightened efficiency in using resources. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
| Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Construction,Healthcare |
| Impact Types | Societal Policy & public services |
| Description | Public facing educational document for mould mitigation and IEQ management for Nunavik residents |
| Geographic Reach | North America |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Rapid Response Government Office for Science & DEFRA Policy Placement: 'Climate Adaptation Research and Innovation Framework |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Assessment of climate extreme impacts on low-income communities through participatory mapping: India and Fiji |
| Amount | £20,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Royal Academy of Engineering |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 12/2024 |
| End | 01/2026 |
| Description | Enhancing Resilience: Community-Driven Non-Destructive Testing in Green Infrastructure |
| Amount | £20,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Royal Academy of Engineering |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 12/2024 |
| End | 01/2026 |
| Title | IES models for Nunavik housing |
| Description | Building performance models developed at Integrated Environmentla Solutions (IES) to explore the risk factors in Nunavik housing parametrically for different typologies and different occupancy and ventilation patterns, and how these are expected to change under changing climatic trends. |
| Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Strategies for future-proofing indoor environmental quality of the existing Nunavik building stock. |
| Title | Nunavik Housing, Occupancy and IEQ Database |
| Description | This dataset has been developed and put together by the Obj 2 team of the Anirniq project (UCL, ULaval and NRC) with data collected through 5 field campaigns: Jul 2023, Feb 2024, Nov 2024, Dec 2024 and Mar 2025. The dataset contains data from around 80 homes and 200 rooms on the following: - Homes' physical characteristics (collected via building survey sheets) - Rooms' physical characteristics (collected via room survey sheets) - Occupancy pattents (collected via resident questionnaires) - IEQ indicators: Mould readings (Mycometer, Air-o-Cell, SASS, Swabs with info on the fulgal biomass and species), Particulate Matter, Formaldehyde, VOC and other indoor pollutants, T&RH and CO2 (for a subset homes for the whole year) - Mechanical room characteristics and data (HRV-ERV, Ventilation, Heating) A subset of homes were tested summer and winter to identify the seasonal variations in data. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The dataset underpins the rapid appraisal protocol we develop for the local housing bureau of Nunavik, the NHB. In line with the National Inuit Strategy on Research and to reflect principles of Inuit self-determination over research and data, the dataset has been handed over and is owned by our Inuit partner, NHB. All dissemination, publication and future use decision lies with the NHB Board, which acts as our Steering Committee on Data Management. |
| Description | Consultation with local partners regarding research presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | As part of the project data management plan, a research presentation to be made internally within the University of Laval Microbiology Research Group was delivered to the NHB (ex-KMHB) for comments. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Invited expert at the Guardian article |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Invited expert at the Guardian to talk about mould growth. Published on 27 Feb 2023: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/feb/27/mouldy-britain-a-foolproof-guide-to-rescuing-your-home-from-damp |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/feb/27/mouldy-britain-a-foolproof-guide-to-rescuing-yo... |
| Description | Recruitment training for NHB (ex-KMHB staff) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The project team trained 2 Inuk NHB members of staff who would accompany the home visits to provide NHB outlook and Inuktitut translation if needs be on the specifics of the recruitment process. This included the introduction of and discussions about the information sheet and the consent form, as well as the resident questionnaire. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Sentinel North Annual Scientific Meeting and Presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Sentinel North is a Excellence Centre funded by Canada First Research Excellence Fund (https://sentinellenord.ulaval.ca/en/about-us). It was developed to promote and elevate the northern research. They offer scholarships, training and also, scientific activities. The Objective 2 PhD student, Cindy Dumais, submitted an abstract to the Sentinel North annual scientific meeting for a presentation and scientific exhanges with the relevant research community. The title was "Exposition aux moisissures dans les habitations nordiques, gestion des bâtiments et impacts sur la santé respiratoire" co-authered by Dumais Cindy, Efthymiopoulos Spyros, Veillette Marc, Ahmad Khan Faiz, Yang Wenping, Ouazia Boualem, Aktas Yasemin Didem, Miron Patrick, Watt Larry, Duchaine Caroline |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://sentinelnorth.ulaval.ca/en/scientific-meeting |
| Description | Turkiye's Civil Protection Agency (AFAD) training on risk reduction for cultural heritage |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | AFAD has approached to Yasemin D Aktas for a training on risk reduction strategies targeted at cultural heritage in the face of geophysical and climatic hazards. A delegation of 5 received training for 3 days in UCL's Bloomsbury and Here East faciltiies and attended field visits for another day in London. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | YDA Speaker at AEng & ATSE joint Policy Opportunities Scoping Workshop (invitation only) on 3 Oct 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Speaker at AEng & ATSE joint Policy Opportunities Scoping Workshop (invitation only) on 3 October 2024, Perth, Australia, organised by RAEng and Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) with 15 hand-selected participants, including key British and Australian Frontiers attendees, session chairs, and Academy staff. Facilitator Dr. John Cully, Senior Policy Advisor, Health, and Resilience, RAEng |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | YDA and SE BSRIA Mould in Homes Webinar focussed on TG 26/2024 on 5 Feb 2025 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The webinar was set up to introduce and discuss TG 26/2024 Mould in buildings: A BSRIA Topic Guide has been written by Yasemin Aktas and Spyros Efthymiopoulos, both of UCL and UKCMB. 400+ people registered for the event and almost all attended. The presentation was followed by a lively discussion. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/6605228586994063708 |
| Description | YDA featured expert at BBC |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | BBC4 on 28 Jan 2025 and BBC5 on 10 Feb 2025 Expert opinion on the nature and extent of the mould problem in UK homes |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Yasemin D Aktas featured expert at BBC Radio Northampton |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Invited expert at BBC Radio Northampton with Tim Wheeler on 11/04/2023 on mould in UK homes. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001kltv |
| Description | Yasemin D Aktas featured expert at the Guardian |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | nvited expert at the Guardian to talk about mould growth. Published on 27 Feb 2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/feb/27/mouldy-britain-a-foolproof-guide-to-rescuing-yo... |
| Description | Yasemin D Aktas invited speaker at BSRIA Briefing 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited speaker at Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA) Briefing 'Cleaner Air, Better Tomorrow', 17 November 2023 in The Brewery, in London, 9 am-4 pm (other speakers: Professor Aaron Gillich, Professor Enda Hayes, Professor Jonathan Van Tam, Roger Harabin) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.bsria.com/uk/product/DXz3jr/bsria_briefing_2023_cleaner_air_better_tomorrow_936b4763/?sr... |