Home environment



Did you understand why all of the questions on the Assessment tool pointed to an environmental health risks?  Did you discover any environmental risks in your home by completing the home assessment?
At first I didn't know why and how some of the questions on the assessment tool was somehow related to environmental health risks.  I didn't even know what some questions were asking, such as the randon test, because I didn't know what randon was.  I also wasn't aware that everyday items like the dryer and heater can lead to increased levels of carbon monoxide and this is especially concerning because my room is next to the laundry room.  Those questions are also related to the questions about safety, which made me think about whether our carbon monoxide detectors are even working.  In my house, I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't batteries in some of the detectors.  This along with many other questions made me realize the many environmental risks in my home.  Some I feel we haven't addressed because we think too often that it wouldn't happen to us or in our home.  After doing this assessment it is clear that we have to do a better job of being aware of the risks and taking a more preventative approach.  
  • In the home assessment, why did we want to know about the age of your home?  The age of the home matters because for homes or apartments that were built before 1978, there could be risk of lead poisoning since lead based paint wasn't yet banned.  
  • Why would we want to know if someone lives in the basement? It is important to know if someone is living in the basement of a home because basements can be spots for moisture and mold.  It also poses a threat for radon and carbon monoxide if there are combustion appliances in the basement,  
  • Who is responsible for home-based environmental health risks? Your local health department or even the department of environment should be responsible for home based environmental health risks.  It also falls on the home owner and the people living in the home to be responsible for health risks in their own home.

Comments

  1. UnknownDecember 2, 2018 at 10:37 AM

    Module 1 Comments Group 4: Learning more about our daily exposures is truly a revealing and a growing awareness for me. I can relate to your newly gained knowledge about the impacts of daily exposures like carbon monoxide and how often I don't check the batteries of all the detectors. I also related to the awareness of knowing about unhealthy exposures to personal care products or like you swimming and continue with the behaviors, it's hard to gage the cost and benefits. I did not add comments for Manisha because I don't have the link to her blog.

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