Help Yourself to a Healthy Home

Table of Contents

? You want to take good care of your family. You try to eat healthy foods. You take your

children to the doctor for regular checkups. You try your best to protect your family

from accidents and illness. You want to live in a safe neighborhood and home.

But did you know your home might have hidden dangers to your children’s health? Ask yourself:

• Is the air in your home clean and healthy? • Do your children have breathing problems, like asthma? • Is someone in your home allergic to mold? • Do you know the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning? • Is there lead anywhere in your home? • Is your tap water safe to drink? • Do you have household products with chemicals in them that can make you sick? • Do you use bug spray or other products to keep away pests? • Do you keep poisons where your children can reach them?

The answers to questions like these will help you learn if your home is safe and healthy. This booklet will make it easier to answer these and other important questions about your home and how you live in it. It will also give you ideas about how to protect your children’s health. It is up to you to make sure your home is a healthy home, but there are lots of places to go for help.

Introduction 2-5

Indoor Air Quality 6-10

Asthma & Allergies 11-16

Mold & Moisture 17-22

Carbon Monoxide 23-28

Lead 29-32

Drinking Water 33-37

Hazardous Household Products 38-41

Pesticides 42-47

Home Safety ……………………………… 48-54

Index ……………………………………………. 55

FACT

Some of the most serious health problems for children may start at home. This

booklet explains some of these health concerns and what you can do about them.

Indoor Air Quality

Asthma & Allergies

-2-

Allergies and asthma are health problems that

have a lot to do with the air you breathe. You

and your children spend a lot of time at home,

so the air inside needs to be clean. Does

someone you live with smoke? Do you have

pets? Is your basement damp? These may cause

or add to breathing problems. To learn more

about asthma and allergies, see page 11.

Mold & Moisture

Other health and safety problems may come

from the air in your home too. Too much

dampness causes mold to grow. Some mold

is very harmful and some can make allergies

or asthma worse. See page 17 to find out more

about mold.

Why Should You Be Concerned?

Is the air in your home healthy? The air

inside can be more harmful to your family’s

health than the air outdoors. Air can be

unhealthy if it has too many pollutants. Indoor

air pollutants can be lots of things—from oven

cleaner to cigarette smoke to mold. It is not

always easy to tell if your home has unhealthy

air. You may notice bad smells or see smoke, but

you cannot see or smell other dangers, like carbon

monoxide or radon. This chapter will help you

learn if your home has healthy air. See page 6.

The number of children with asthma has doubled in the past 10 years.

1 in 15 children under 18 years of age has asthma.

FACTMost people spend over 90% of their time indoors.

-3-

If they are not working right, ovens and heaters

may cause a deadly gas called carbon monoxide

to build up inside your home. You cannot see or

smell this danger, but you can help keep your

loved ones safe from carbon monoxide poison-

ing. See page 23 to learn more about how to protect

your family from carbon monoxide.

Carbon Monoxide

Is your drinking water safe? Do you know

where your drinking water comes from? If it

comes from your own well, you need to make

sure it is safe to drink. Have your water tested

every year to make sure it does not have chemi-

cals or other pollutants in it that can make your

family sick. There are things you can do to take

care of your well and keep the water clean. See

page 35 for ideas.

You may get your drinking water from a

water company or utility. They always test the

water before they pipe it to you to make sure it

is safe. You can ask the company or utility for

a report on what the tests found. Even if it is

o.k. at the water utility, water can still become

unsafe after it comes into your home. Look at

page 33 to see if your water is safe to drink.

Drinking Water

FACT95% of people living in rural areas use private wells for their

drinking water.

Lead

FACT1 in 40 American children has too much lead in his/her body.

Can your children be poisoned by lead in your

home? Some house paint and water pipes con-

tain lead. This metal can poison your children.

Most problems with lead come from old paint or

lead dust. Lead was also in gasoline and got into

the soil and air from car exhaust. It’s not used in

these ways any more. There’s still plenty of lead

around though.

Lead can poison your children if they get it

into their mouths or breathe it in from the air.

If a pregnant woman gets lead in her body, it

can harm her unborn baby.

Lead poisoning can be a serious problem for

young children. It can cause problems with learn-

ing, growth, and behavior that last a lifetime.

Even small amounts of lead can harm children.

Turn to page 29 to find out about lead poisoning in

your home.

What harmful products do you have in your

home? Some products can harm your family’s

health if you do not use them in the right way.

Common chemicals like bleach, rat poison,

paint strippers, and drain cleaners can be

dangerous. Children can poison themselves

if they get into products like these. Even very

small amounts of some chemicals can cause

health problems if you touch them or breathe

them in. Remember—if you spray or pump

something, it goes right into the air. When

you and your family breathe, those chemicals

go into your bodies. See page 38 to learn more

about how to use, store, and dispose of household

products.

Do you use pesticides in your home? Almost

every household uses pesticides. Bug spray, flea

powder, rat poison, and garden weed killer are

all types of pesticides. They have chemicals in

them that kill pests. This also means they may

harm you and your family. If you do not use

them safely, some pesticides may cause seri-

ous health problems—poisoning, birth defects,

nerve damage, and even cancer.

Your children can come into contact with

pesticides in many ways. You can take simple

steps to protect them from pesticides. See page

42 to see if you are using pesticides safely!

-4-

Did you know that your chances of getting

hurt at home are much higher than they are

at work or school? The leading causes of death

in the home are falls, drowning, fires, poi-

soning, suffocation, choking, and guns. Very

young children and older adults are the people

most likely to get hurt at home. It’s important

to keep people’s age in mind when thinking

about home safety.

Look at page 48 to find out if your home is a

safe place to live and how to make it even safer.

Hazardous Household Products

Pesticides

Home Safety

FACTThousands of children die each year from chemicals stored and used

improperly in the home.

FACTNearly one-half of households with a child under age five had pesticides

stored within reach of children.

FACTEach year, accidents in the home hurt over six and a half

million people.

-5-

Everyone needs a healthy home. But there are

special reasons to think about children:

• Children’s bodies are still growing. Their

young brains, livers, and other organs are

more likely to be harmed by chemicals

and other dangers than those of adults. If

children get sick, it may be harder for them

to get well because their immune systems

are still developing.

• For their size, children eat more food,

drink more water, and breathe more air

than adults do. When they get lead in

their bodies or breathe in harmful gases,

they get a bigger dose than adults would.

• Children play and crawl on the ground.

That means they are closer to many things

that might cause health problems, like

dust and chemicals. Babies and young

children also put most everything in their

mouths—things that might have chemicals

or lead dust on them. Children depend on adults to make

their homes safe!

Why Focus on Children?

How to use this booklet…

T his booklet asks questions about your home and how you live in it. By answering

them, you can find out if your home is healthy or if you need to make some changes.

There are nine chapters in this booklet. Every chapter gives information about a topic,

asks questions about it, and gives you simple Action Steps to protect your children’s

health. At the end of each chapter, you will find out where to get more help.

It’s up to you—Help Yourself to a Healthy Home!

-6-

Most people spend at least half of their lives

inside their homes. The air inside can

be more harmful to your family’s health

than the air outdoors. Is the air in your home safe to

breathe?

It is not always easy to tell if your home has poor air

quality. You may notice bad smells or see smoke, but

you cannot see or smell other dangers, like carbon

monoxide or radon. This chapter and those on asthma

and allergies, mold, and carbon monoxide will help

you ask the right questions to find out if the air inside

your home is healthy and safe. They will also give you

ideas about how to fix any problems you might find.

Asthma and Allergies If someone in your home has health problems or is

ill, polluted indoor air can make them feel worse. For

example, asthma is a lung disease that affects a growing

number of children. Indoor air pollution can make

it worse. Insects and other pests can also be a real prob-

lem for people with asthma or allergies. For example,

cockroach and dust mite droppings cause asthma

attacks in some people. Pesticides can help fight these

pests but they can be dangerous. See page 44 for more

information about using bug spray and other pesticides

safely. See page 11 to find out about making your home

healthier for people with asthma or allergies.

Mold Mold grows in wet or damp places. It often smells

musty. Many people are allergic to mold. Some kinds

of mold are toxic, and coming into contact with large

amounts of mold may cause health problems. Talk to

a doctor if you think mold is causing health problems

for you or your family. See page 17 to learn more about

how to control mold in your home.

Carbon Monoxide Carbon monoxide is a deadly gas that can come from

appliances that burn gas, oil, coal, or wood, and are not

working as they should. Car exhaust also has carbon

monoxide. You cannot see, taste or smell carbon mon-

oxide. See page 23 for more information on how to protect

your family from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Other Indoor Air Problems Radon is another gas. It can get into some homes

from the ground below them. You cannot see, taste,

or smell radon. Radon is found all over the United

States. Radon can cause lung cancer. In fact, it is the

second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. If you

smoke and your home has high levels of radon, your

risk of lung cancer is especially high.

Indoor Air Quality Should You Be Concerned?

FA C

TS The air in your home

can be unhealthy if

it has too many

pollutants in it. To

cut down on indoor

air pollution, learn

where it comes from.

Take good care of

your home to keep it

healthy!

Children can spend up

to 90% of their time

indoors. For their size,

children breathe up to

twice as much air as

adults. That means

children are at greater

risk for health prob-

lems that come from

indoor air pollution.

-6-

Indoor Air Quality

-7–6- -7-

Indoor Air Quality

Sometimes indoor air pollution comes from what people do in their home.

• Tobacco smoking causes cancer and other major

health problems. It’s unsafe for children to be around

smokers. Second-hand or environmental tobacco

smoke can raise children’s risk of ear infections and

breathing problems. It can trigger asthma attacks, too.

• Many families have pets. However, furry pets

cause problems for some people. Pets can make

asthma and allergies act up, especially if you

keep them in sleeping areas.

• Hobbies and home projects sometimes

involve sanding, painting, welding, or

using solvent chemicals, like varnish or

paint strippers. (A solvent is a chemical

that can dissolve something else.

Solvents are usually liquid.) Home

projects can pollute the air with dust

or harmful chemicals.

Sometimes indoor air pollution comes from what people have in their homes.

• Some household products, especially

those with solvents, can pollute the

air if you don’t use them in the right

way. See page 38 for more information

about household products

• New furniture, carpets, and building

products may give off chemicals that

were used in their making. Some of these chemicals

can harm people, especially children.

• If your home was built before 1978, the paint may

have lead in it. Lead is very dangerous for young

children. See page 29 to learn about protecting

your children from lead poisoning

There are simple, but important steps you can take

to find out what is causing poor air quality. The

questions on the next page can help you find

problems around your home. Page 9 will give you ideas

of what to do. Look at the chapters on asthma and

allergies, mold, and carbon monoxide to learn more

about indoor air problems. Remember, making your

home a safer, healthier place to live may mean taking

several steps.

Combustion appliances are one possible source of air pollution.

-8-

Indoor Air Quality

Your Family’s Health

• Does anyone in your family

have asthma or allergies?

• Does a family

member notice

burning eyes,

coughing, or

sneezing that

happens most

often while at home?

• Does anyone in your home have chronic bronchitis

or another lung disease?

Radon

• Have you ever tested your home for radon?

• Do any of your neighbors have problems with

radon gas? If so, you might also have a radon prob-

lem.

Living in a Healthy Home

• Do some areas in your home smell damp or musty?

• Have you seen cockroaches in your home?

• Do you know how to safely run and take

care of your fuel-burning appliances?

• Do you allow smoking in your

home?

• Do you have furry pets in your

home? In the bedrooms?

• Do you read the label on

household products, and follow the

directions for using them safely?

• Do you open win-

dows or turn on fans

when doing hobbies

or projects that make

dust or odors?

• Do you try to do

dusty or smelly

projects outdoors?

• Do you choose

furniture, carpet,

and building prod-

ucts that are made

with non-toxic chem-

icals and materials?

These are sometimes called green building products.

• Does your home ever smell musty, damp, smoky,

or like chemicals?

• Does your home seem stuffy or stale? Can you

smell cooking odors the next day?

• Do your bathroom and kitchen have exhaust

fans—do you use them?

?Questions to Ask

-8-

-9–8- -9-

Indoor Air Quality

Be sure to check the Action Steps in the

chapters on asthma and allergies, mold,

and carbon monoxide. You will find good sug-

gestions for cutting down on pollution in your

home and making the air healthier.

Test Your Home for Radon You can buy low cost radon test kits

at hardware or home supply stores.

Or call your local or state health depart-

ment for more information.

Living in a Healthy Home • Do not smoke in your home or car.

Never smoke near your children.

• Pay attention to housekeeping. Taking

care of food and spills right away

keeps bugs and pests away. A clean

home is a healthier home.

• Open windows or use

fans to let in fresh air

whenever someone

uses chemicals

in the home or

garage.

• Ask the sales-

person to unroll

new carpet

and let it air

out for at

least one

day

before

bringing it into your home. Put in

carpet during a season when you can open

windows for several days afterwards. Vacuum

old carpet well before you remove it to

keep down dust.

• Let new furniture and building

materials air out for a few days

before bringing them inside. Before

buying new things for your home,

ask for products made with non-

toxic chemicals and materials.

Sometimes non-toxic or

green building products cost

more money. You need to

decide if the cost is worth

it to protect the

health of your family.

• Keep pets out of bed-

rooms and living

areas.

ACTION STEPS

-10-

When In Doubt, Check It Out!

✆ -10-

• US Environmental Protection Agency Indoor Air

Quality Home Page—www.epa.gov/iaq

• Indoor Air Quality Information Clearinghouse

(IAQ INFO) 800/438-4318 (Monday to Friday,

9:00 a.m – 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time) or email:

[email protected]

• National Radon Information Hotline

800/SOS RADON (800/767-7236)

• The National Consumer Federation’s Radon

Website—www.radonfixit.org

• National Lead Information Center 800/424-LEAD

(800/424-5323)

• National Hispanic Indoor Air Quality Hotline

800/SALUD-12 (800/725-8312), Monday to Friday,

9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time

• American Lung Association. Contact your local

organization, call 800/LUNG-USA (800/586-4872)

or visit the web at www.lungusa.org

• Contact Healthy Indoor Air for America’s Homes

at 406/994-3451 or www.healthyindoorair.org

• Home*A*Syst: An Environmental Risk Assessment

Guide for the Home contains information about

indoor air quality and other healthy home topics.

608/262-0024 or www.uwex.edu/homeasyst

Indoor Air Quality

Notes

This chapter was written by Kathleen Parrott, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. ©2002 University of Wisconsin Extension. All rights reserved.

-11–10-

More than eight million children in the

United States have a disease called asthma.

Asthma is a leading reason that children

miss school or end up in the hospital. Asthma makes it

hard for people to breathe. Sometimes people even die

from asthma. This disease has no cure yet, but it can

be controlled.

Another 40 to 50 million people have allergies. Allergies

can also make it hard for people to breathe by causing

an asthma attack. An allergy is an unusual reaction to

something, like a food or a plant, which is normally

harmless. Common signs of allergies are a stuffy or

runny nose, itching, or a rash. This section will help

you ask the right questions to find out how to make

your home a safer, healthier place for people with

asthma or allergies.

What Happens During an Asthma Attack? Asthma flare-ups are called asthma attacks. During an

attack, the breathing tubes in your lungs, called bronchi

and bronchioles, get smaller. During an asthma attack:

• The breathing tubes in your lungs swell up

• The muscles around these tubes tighten

• The tubes make large amounts of a thick fluid

called mucus

You cannot catch asthma. It does run in families

though. If someone in your family has it, you or

your children may too. The number of asthma cases

is growing, and more people die from it every year.

These deaths do not need to happen.

Warning Signs of an Asthma Attack: • Tightness in the chest

• Shortness of breath

• Wheezing

• Coughing

People with asthma who learn to spot the early signs of an attack can take medicine right away. This may make the attack less severe.

Asthma & Allergies Should You Be Concerned?

-11-

Asthma & Allergies

FACT If someone is having a severe asthma attack, get him or her to a hos-

pital emergency room right away. Some signs

of a severe attack:

• The person’s asthma rescue or inhaler

medicine doesn’t help within 15 minutes

• The person’s lips or fingernails are blue

• The person has trouble walking or talking

due to shortness of breath

The most important thing to know about

asthma is that you can control it. Asthma

patients (or their parents) who learn what

medicine to take and what triggers attacks

can avoid

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