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Help Yourself to a Healthy Home
Some of the most serious health problems for children may start at home. This website introduces some of these concerns and provides resources to help you learn what you can do about them. Did you know your home might have hidden dangers to your children's health? Ask yourself:
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- 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?
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The answers to questions like these will help you learn if your home is safe and healthy. The Help Yourself to a Healthy Home booklet and webtool can make it easier to answer important questions about your home and how you live in it. They will also give you ideas about how to protect your children's health. Click here to see the booklet or webtool.
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Common Environmental Health Issues Around the Home
Indoor Air Quality
Most people spend over 90% of their time indoors. The air inside can be more harmful to your family's health than the air outdoors. Air can be unhealthy if it contains too many pollutants. Indoor air pollutants range 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. Click here to see links about indoor air quality.
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Asthma and Allergies
Allergies and asthma 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 conditions may cause or add to breathing problems. Click here to see links about asthma and allergies.
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Mold and 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. Click here to see links about mold.
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Carbon Monoxide
If your stoves, heaters and other appliances are not working right, they may give off a deadly gas called carbon monoxide. You cannot see or smell this danger, but you can help keep your loved ones safe from carbon monoxide poisoning. Click here here to see links about carbon monoxide.
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Lead
Some house paint and water pipes contain lead. This metal can poison children and unborn babies. Most problems with lead come from old paint. Lead was also in gasoline and got into the soil and air from car exhaust. Lead can poison your children if they get it into their mouths or breathe it in from the air. Lead poisoning can be a serious problem for young children. It can cause problems with learning, growth, and behavior that last a lifetime. Even small amounts of lead can harm children. Click here to see links about lead poisoning.
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Drinking Water
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 chemicals 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. 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. Even if it is ok at the water utility, water can still become unsafe after it comes into your home. Click here to see links about drinking water.
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Hazardous Household Products
Some products can harm your family's health if you do not use them properly. Common chemicals like bleach, rat poison, 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 their fumes. Click here to see links about hazardous household products.
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Pesticides
Almost every household uses pesticides. Bug spray, rat poison, and garden weed killer are all types of pesticides. They contain chemicals that kill pests. This also means they may harm you and your family. If you do not use them safely, some pesticides may cause serious health problems -- poisoning, birth defects, -- even cancer. Your children can come into contact with pesticides in many ways. You can take simple steps to protect them from pesticides. Click here to see links about pesticide safety!
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Home Safety
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, poisoning, 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. Click here to see links about home safety.
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