The Face Behind the Phone
Healthy Homes is excited to welcome our new Administrative Assistant MJ Truini.
Indoor Air Quality
Gases like radon and carbon monoxide can be deadly and are undetectable without proper testing. Deadly effects from these gases are 100% preventable.
Radon
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. Only smoking causes more lung cancer. There are no early symptoms of radon exposure and no easy way to test individuals for exposure. The best prevention is to test the home.
Carbon Monoxide
Carbon Monoxide is an odorless and tasteless gas that can be given off during the burning of fuel. It is the leading cause of poisoning deaths in the United States. The best protection is to have fuel burning appliances inspected annually and to install a carbon monoxide detector on each level of the home.
Particulate Matter
Particulate Matter is a mixture of particles. Particulate matter can come from a number of sources including household cleaners, chemical air fresheners, cigarette smoke, and unventilated gas stoves and heaters. Exposure to particulate matter can trigger asthma symptoms as well as increase risk to respiratory and cardiovascular health.
Other Air Quality Issues
Other air quality issues specific to asthma and allergies can be found on the mold and moisture and pest pages.
In Case of Emergency
If your Carbon Monoxide detector goes off, get everyone out of the house as soon as possible and call your local fire department.
Did You Know...
Across the U.S., radon exposure results in approximately 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year.
Resources
Easy and Safe Cleaning Products(111 KB)
2013 Carbon Monoxide Report for the State of Michigan(617 KB)
2013 data on carbon monoxide deaths, hospitalizations, and poisonings for the state of Michigan provided by the Michigan Deaprtment of Health and Human Services (published March 2015).
Green Cleaning Recipes(1.6 MB)
Carbon Monoxide Fact Sheet(1.5 MB)
Fact sheet jointly authored by the Healthy Homes Coalition and Helen DeVos Children's Hospital Injury Prevention Coalition (formerly the Safe Kids Coaltiion).
Join us for our Building Healthy Futures Luncheon
Parents, Healthy Homes, and others are working hard the help kids stop hurting. We want you to be a part of this story. Learn more about Healthy Homes and how together we can elminate harmful housing conditions in west Michigan. Register for our free luncheon today!
"I was angry at myself for not protecting my child."
This would seem a natural reaction for any parent. We are all focused on protecting our children and making sure they are strong and healthy.
However, the lead in the paint that made her daughter Lucy sick was not her fault. Yet Kristin was angry at both herself and her husband.
Then anxiety set in and she took action. She went into “Mama Bear” mode.