Our vision: A safe and healthy Kitsap County for all.
Climate & The Environment
Climate change poses a range of public health challenges for Kitsap County and its residents. KPHD is working to build a more climate-resilient Kitsap County by developing climate change-informed emergency response plans, supporting climate-friendly planning initiatives, and advancing community-led strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Creating a Healthy Living Environment
For most of us, we spend more time at home than anywhere else. Our homes – our living environments – can have a profound effect on our physical and mental wellbeing. A healthy living environment is one that protects people from health hazards such as disease vectors, pests, mold, lead, and fire.
Rodents and
Other Pests
Bedbugs
Lead-based
Paint
Mold
Indoor Air
Quality
Smoke and
Carbon Monoxide
Rodents and Other Pests
Health effects: In addition to shedding allergy-causing particles, mice, rats, cockroaches, and other pests can carry a variety of diseases that can infect humans.
Prevention:
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Maintain clean living and cooking areas. Food crumbs, scraps, and spills are an attractive food source for rodents and other household pests.
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If you have an active infestation, make sure that food is stored in pest-proof containers.
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Ensure that external entry points (crawl space and soffit vents, spaces under doors, etc.) are properly sealed.
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If you have birdfeeders, store birdseed in rodent-proof containers and regularly clean up pilled birdseed.
Bedbugs
Health effects: Bedbug infestations can cause physical discomfort (including allergic reactions to bites) and psychological distress. Although unpleasant, bedbugs are not know to carry or transmit human diseases.
Prevention:
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When traveling, inspect sheets, mattresses, and box springs for evidence of bed bug infestation (reddish stains, feces, and eggs/egg casings). Do not stay in a room in which bedbugs are present.
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Do not bring any secondhand furniture into your home without inspecting it for bedbugs.
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Tumble dry clothes and bedding on high to kill attached bedbugs.
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Vacuum carpets and rugs to capture stray bedbugs.
Lead-Based Paint
Health effects: Exposure to lead can have a number of serious health effects, including neurological problems, pain, numbness in the hands and feet, and kidney failure. Lead poisoning is especially dangerous for children, who can suffer permanent developmental damage.
Prevention:
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Inspect and repair cracked, peeling, or damaged lead-based paint.
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Use appropriate safeguards when scraping, sanding, or removing lead-based paint.
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Frequently wash children’s toys and utensils.
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Avoid imported cookware.
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Keep track of lead-related toy and product recalls.
More information:
Mold
Health effects: Exposure to mold can cause allergic reactions like coughing, sneezing, sinus congestion, and eye irritation. Some molds produce toxins that may cause more serious health effects (for example, sick building syndrome), and a few species can cause opportunistic infections in people with weakened immune systems.
Prevention:
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All molds need moisture to grow and reproduce. To prevent or reduce mold growth, be sure to fix any leaks, run the bathroom fan when taking a bath or shower, and reduce humidity (increase air circulation, use a dehumidifier).
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Remove visible mold growth from surfaces using soap or dilute bleach.
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Use HEPA filters to reduce concentrations of airborne spores.
More information:
Indoor Air Quality
Health effects: Poor indoor air quality (inadequate circulation, high CO2 levels, volatile organic compounds, allergens, etc.) can cause discomfort, irritation, and reduced quality of life.
Prevention:
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Improve air circulation (open windows when possible/seasonally appropriate).
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Use HEPA filters to remove irritating particulates.
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Choose less toxic/unscented household cleaning products.
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Avoid storing volatile chemicals (paints, fuels, solvents, etc.) in your home, or store them in the minimum possible amount and in appropriate containers.
Fire and Carbon Monoxide
Health effects: Smoke, fire, and carbon monoxide can be deadly household hazards.
Prevention:
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Install at least one smoke detector on each level of your home, as well as in every bedroom. Install at least one carbon monoxide detector on each level of your home.
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Regularly test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to ensure that they are working properly.
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Have fire extinguishers and know how to use them.
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Have an escape plan.
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Regularly clean your chimney/flue to prevent the buildup of flammable residues.
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Do not use barbeques or gas ovens to heat your home.
What is Climate Change?
Climate change is the disruption of historic weather patterns as a result of human activities. The biggest driver of climate change is the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil to produce energy. When fossil fuels are burned, they release greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. These gases act like an atmospheric blanket, directing heat that would otherwise escape into outer space back to earth’s surface. As the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increases, so does the amount of captured heat, leading to increases in Earth’s average surface temperature. This warming process is having a number of effects, including more frequent extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and ecological changes.
Climate Change and Public Health
Climate change can affect people’s health in multiple ways. Extreme weather events such as heat waves and wildfire smoke events are linked to negative health outcomes. As these events become more common, so will their health impacts. Changing weather patterns and increased average temperatures may also cause ecological changes that promote the transmission of vector- and water-borne diseases such as West Nile virus, Lyme disease, and vibriosis.
People who are at high risk for health complications or who live or work in settings that put them at increased risk of exposure to climate-driven health impacts will be disproportionately affected by climate change. Climate vulnerability is also affected by social determinants of health such as education, housing, and access to healthcare.
Increasing Climate Resilience
KPHD is working to help make Kitsap County more resilient in the face of climate change. Climate-informed emergency planning and public health outreach can help protect the community from the effects of extreme weather. Supporting climate-friendly planning initiatives, such as improving access to safe active transport options or making buildings more energy efficient, can help reduce the magnitude of future climate impacts. Together, KPHD and its community partners can come together to collaborate, plan, and implement climate preparedness strategies that will help protect the well-being of our community.
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