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Healthy Homes for Everyone!
Our families face significant health threats in the place we usually think of as safest, our homes. But how does someone know what poses a potential health risk around the home and what doesn’t? Our goal is to help families learn about the risks they face at home and how to reduce them. Parents and others can find out more about the dangers of things like lead-based paint, pesticides, carbon monoxide, mold, allergens, and home safety.
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has begun the Healthy Homes Initiative in response to the concerns about child environmental health. HUD developed a preliminary plan of baseline research and demonstration projects for HHI.
The Healthy Home Initiative addresses multiple childhood diseases and injuries in the home. The Initiative takes a holistic approach to these activities by focusing on housing-related hazards in a coordinated fashion, rather than addressing a single hazard at a time.
Lets look at a few of your home concerns:
LEAD:
Lead is a highly toxic metal that may cause a range of health problems, especially in young children. When lead is absorbed into the body, it can cause damage to the brain and other vital organs, like the kidneys, nerves and blood.
Lead may also cause behavioral problems, learning disabilities, seizures and in extreme cases, death. Some symptoms of lead poisoning may include headaches, stomachaches, nausea, tiredness and irritability. Children who are lead poisoned may show no symptoms.
Both inside and outside the home, deteriorated lead-paint mixes with household dust and soil and becomes tracked in. Children may become lead poisoned by:
- Putting their hands or other lead-contaminated objects into their mouths,
- Eating paint chips found in homes with peeling or flaking lead-based paint, or
- Playing in lead-contaminated soil
What can you do?
If your home was built before 1978:
- Wipe down flat surfaces, like window sills, with a damp paper towel and throw away the paper towel,
- Mop smooth floors (using a damp mop) weekly to control dust,
- Take off shoes when entering the house
- Vacuum carpets and upholstery to remove dust,
- If possible, use a vacuum with a HEPA filter or a "higher efficiency" collection bag,
- Pick up loose paint chips carefully with a paper towel and discard in the trash, then wipe the surface clean with a wet paper towel,
- Take precautions to avoid creating lead dust when remodeling, renovating or maintaining your home,
- Test for lead hazards by a lead professional. (Have the soil tested too).
For your child:
- Have your child's blood lead level tested at age 1 and 2. Children from 3 to 6 years of age should have their blood tested, if they have not been tested before and:
- They live in or regularly visit a house built before 1950,
- They live in or regularly visit a house built before 1978 with on-going or recent renovations or remodeling
- They have a sibling or playmate who has or did have lead poisoning
- Frequently wash your child's hands and toys to reduce contact with dust,
- Use cold tap water for drinking and cooking
- Avoid using home remedies (such as arzacon, greta, pay-loo-ah, or litargirio) and cosmetics (such as kohl or alkohl) that contain lead
- Certain candies, such as tamarindo candy jam products from Mexico, may contain high levels of lead in the wrapper or stick. Be cautious when providing imported candies to children
- Some tableware, particularly folk terra cotta plates and bowls from Latin America, may contain high levels of lead that can leach into food.
MOLD:
Molds are living organisms that grow in damp places in your home. They stain or discolor surfaces and smell musty. There are hundreds of thousands of different types of mold.
Mold can grow almost anywhere: on walls, ceilings, carpets, or furniture. Humidity or wetness, caused by water leaks, spills from bathtubs or showers, or condensation, can cause mold to grow in your home.
Mold spores are tiny particles that float through the air. These can sometimes cause health problems. Mold does not affect everyone, and different people are affected differently when mold is breathed or inhaled.
People with allergies to mold may get:
- Watery eyes
- Runny or stuffed noses
- Itching
- Headaches
- Difficulty breathing
Mold can also trigger asthma attacks. Some molds produce toxins (poisons) that may be hazardous if people are exposed to large amounts of these molds. Mold spores and related mycotoxins can also pose a serious health threat to individuals who have compromised immune systems.
What can you do?
To prevent and get rid of mold:
- Keep your house clean and dry.
- Fix water problems such as roof leaks, wet basements, and leaking pipes or faucets.
- Make sure your home is well ventilated and always use ventilation fans in bathrooms and kitchens.
- If possible, keep humidity in your house below 50% by using an air conditioner or dehumidifier.
- Avoid using carpeting in areas of the home that may become wet, such as kitchens, bathrooms and basements.
- Dry floor mats regularly.
To find mold that might be growing in your home:
- Search for moisture in areas that have a damp or moldy smell, especially in basements, kitchens and bathrooms.
- Look for water stains or colored, fuzzy growth on and around ceilings, walls, floors, windowsills and pipes.
- If you smell a musty odor, search behind and underneath materials such as carpeting, furniture or stored items.
- Inspect kitchens, bathrooms and basements for standing water, water stains and patches of out-of-place color.
To control moisture problems and mold:
- Fix any water problems immediately and clean or remove wet materials, furnishings or mold.
- Clean up spills or floods within one day. If practical, take furniture that has been wet outside to dry and clean. Direct sunlight prevents mold growth.
- Dry all surfaces and fix the problem or leak to prevent further damage.
- Install a dehumidifier when a moisture problem is evident or when the humidity is high.
CARBON MONOXIDE:
Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas. It cannot be seen, smelled or tasted, and can be fatal when high levels are breathed. Symptoms of carbon monoxide are similar to those of the flu and allergies. Carbon monoxide poisoning may also be misdiagnosed as migraine headache, stroke, food poisoning or heart disease. Over 500 people in the United States die from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning each year. CO poisoning more seriously affects infants, people with lung or heart disease, or people with anemia. The following information will help you better understand the ways you can protect your family from dangers associated with carbon monoxide.
Where does carbon monoxide poisoning come from?
- Fuel-burning machinery used indoors such as generators without proper ventilation.
- Car exhaust fumes entering the house from the garage.
- Combustion equipment such as furnaces or water heaters when not working properly or that have a blocked exhaust system.
What can you do?
Carbon monoxide poisoning is preventable. The following tips and pointers can help keep your family safe:
- Never run your car in a closed garage.
- Make sure fuel burning appliances are installed by a professional and that they are working properly.
- Choose vented appliances when possible.
- Never use a gas range or oven to heat your home.
- Have your heating system and chimneys inspected each year.
- During winter months check frequently that vents, flues and chimneys are not blocked by snow or ice.
- Replace dirty air filters on heating and cooling systems.
- Never run a generator, power washer, or any diesel or gasoline-powered engine inside a basement, garage or other enclosed structure.
- Keep your home well ventilated - Install ventilation for indoor combustion appliances and consider installing air exchanges or air conditioning if your home is tightly sealed.
- Never use a charcoal grill, hibachi, or camping lantern or portable stove inside your home, tent or camper.
- Install carbon monoxide detectors near bedrooms.
- Talk to your doctor or local health department if you suspect that you, or a family member, might be suffering from carbon monoxide fumes.
- Call your local building or code enforcement agency if you have concerns about the combustion appliances in your home.
PESTICIDES:
Common pests can cause serious health problems! Pests such as weeds, cockroaches and rodents, as well as the chemicals we use to control them, can cause and trigger allergies and asthma by contaminating our air indoors.
What is IPM?
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a method that focuses on knowing the pest in order to prevent pests from getting out of control. IPM is safer because non-chemical methods are the first line of defense. If chemicals must be used, always choose less hazardous products. Be sure to read warning labels before using any chemical products.
Use IPM to eliminate pests safely
Step One: Find out what kind of pests you have and where they are coming from. Each pest has different habits so it's important to "know your enemy!" For rodents and roaches, sticky traps can tell you what and where they are.
Step Two: All pests look for food, water and shelter. If you understand what they want, you can take it away. This is the most important step in IPM and prevention!
- Keep living areas clean and uncluttered.
- Put food in tightly sealed containers.
- Keep trash in a closed container.
- Fix plumbing or water leaks
- Seal entry points such as gaps in walls, pipes, pavement and other surfaces using caulking, steel wool, or other pest-proof materials for.
Step Three: Use traps and baits first, along with less-toxic dusts such as boric acid.
- Put the bait close to the pest's hiding place.
- Do not spray any pesticides. This will keep the pests away from the bait.
- Choose and use chemicals very carefully!
- Read the label - it has valuable information on proper use.
ALLERGIES:
An allergen is something that causes allergy signs, or an allergic reaction. Many of the same asthma triggers also cause allergic reactions in people who don't have asthma. There are many common allergens. Some are those listed here. It's very important to talk to your doctor if you have had a reaction to any of these:
Household triggers: pets (most often animal skin flakes or "dander"), smoke, mold, dust and dust mites.
Foods: milk and dairy products, citrus fruit like oranges and lemons, artificial colors and favors, nuts, and shellfsh, like shrimp or clams.
Medicines: penicillin, some heart medicines, and some anti-seizure medicines.
Insect stings and bites: most are caused by yellow jackets, honeybees, paper wasps, hornets and fire ants. In some people, reactions to stings become more serious as years go by. Eventually, it may take only one sting to kill. Talk to your doctor if you have had a serious reaction to a sting.
Contact allergens: cause reactions when things like plants, cosmetics, jewelry, or latex (a type of rubber) touch the skin. Rashes are common reactions to these allergens.
What can you do?
- Know your allergies, and know what to avoid. Not everyone is allergic to the same things!
- Contact your doctor about any unusual reactions to food, plants, medicines, or other items.
- Avoid contact with things you know trigger allergies. Avoid being outside or having the windows open when pollen counts are high. Read food labels carefully to avoid ingredients that cause reactions. Choose medicines and home-care products carefully. Remove carpet or vacuum often to avoid animal dander.
- Keep a clean home. Control pests such as mice and cockroaches. Vacuum floors and upholstery often and consider removing carpet. Avoid having mold, cigarette smoke, pesticides, and chemicals inside the house. Keep pets out of the bedrooms of family members who are allergic to them.
In the event of a severe allergic reaction, seek emergency medical attention immediately.
For more information about keeping a healthy home, please check out these websites:
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