Parents win BIG Victory!
On Thursday, April 25, the Kent County Board of Commissioners approved funding for two staff positions to investigate homes that are lead-poisoning children. Landlords who fail to act to be held accountable.
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).
Let's Double-Down for Children with Asthma Like Louian
Little Louian's recently renovated home was in good condition, yet there were still things about the home environment that triggered Louian's asthma. Things had gotten so out of control that Louian ended up in the emergency room four times in a year. Healthy Homes provided Louian's mom with the knowledge, skills, and tools she needed to take action.
But this is just one of many families in need of support. Asthma attacks are the leading reason kids are going to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital’s emergency room. We need to do more to keep children like Louian from hurting, and we can with your help.
Healthy Housing Goes Global
In November of 2018, the World Health Organization stepped firmly into the healthy housing world when it released its WHO Housing and Health Guidelines. While local conditions are different all over the world, the strategies WHO suggests are universal and certainly apply to Grand Rapids.