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Volume 13, Number 5—May 2007
Research

Respirator Donning in Post-Hurricane New Orleans

Kristin J. Cummings*†Comments to Author , Jean Cox-Ganser*, Margaret A. Riggs†‡, Nicole Edwards*, and Kathleen Kreiss*
Author affiliations: *National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; †Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epidemic Intelligence Service, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; ‡National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA;

Main Article

Table 1

Characteristics of Orleans Parish participants, March 2006*

Characteristic Values
Age in y, median, range (N = 547)
50, 18–89
Male, n/N (%)
292/553 (53)
Hispanic, n/N (%)
21/548 (4)
Race, n/N (%)†

Caucasian
241/548 (44)
African-American or black
296/548 (54)
Asian
20/548 (4)
American Indian or Alaska Native
21/548 (4)
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
5/548 (1)
Relationship to home, n/N (%)‡

Owner
415/553 (75)
Renter
80/553 (14)
Other (includes relatives, friends, other associates)
58/553 (10)
Smoking status, n/N (%)

Current
127/551 (23)
Former
123/551 (22)
Never
301/551 (55)
Physician-diagnosed asthma, n/N (%)
68/553 (12)
Flood level in feet,‡ median, range (N = 527)
4, 0–18
Water entry due to roof or window damage,‡ n/N (%)
300/547 (55)
Mold extent,‡ n/N (%)

None
143/550 (26)
<50% of walls and ceilings
213/550 (39)
≥50% of walls and ceilings
179/550 (33)
Do not know
15/550 (3)
Employed in mold remediation, n/N (%)
45/553 (8)
Ever used mask or respirator, n/N (%)
439/553 (79)
Ever had respirator fit test,§ n/N (%)
80/543 (15)
Activities in water-damaged/moldy home since Katrina

Been inside, n/N (%)
467/551 (85)
Participated in clean-up, n/N (%)
372/551 (68)
No. of homes cleaned (N = 368), median, range
2, 1–50
No. with mold extent ≥50% (N = 367), median, range
1, 0–25
Still participating in clean-up activities, n/N (%) 183/358 (51)

*Data for some characteristics were missing for some participants.
†Participants could select >1 racial category; total >100%.
‡Home at which participant was encountered and interviewed.
§“Fit test” was defined in the questionnaire as “a test in which a technician measures how well the respirator fits your face during
activities such as talking and moving your head. It could involve smelling smoke, tasting something sweet or bitter, or a special
machine that counts particles.”

Main Article

Page created: June 23, 2010
Page updated: June 23, 2010
Page reviewed: June 23, 2010
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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