The environmental health home assessment helped me better
understand the potential dangers in my home. I was not familiar with some of
the questions and how exactly to answer them but with a little research and the
explanation I had a better understanding. I currently live in San Francisco’s
Ingleside district and have been living in my home for about 7 years. My home
was built in 1912 and we did ask the landlord if our home was tested for lead
and he assured us that it was.
Before completing the assessment I was not aware of what
radon was but after some research I learned that it is a radioactive gas that
is produced by decaying uranium and is present in nearly all soils. I am unsure
if/when our home was tested for radon or if we have a radon ventilation system.
I will definitely ask my landlord soon.
I also realized that I am currently not well prepared for an
emergency and do not have a disaster plan or a clear fire evacuation route.
That is concerning and we should be more prepared and also have
shelter-in-place supplies. I also learned a lot about where mercury can be
found in homes. As far as insects in the house, we do not have any of the
ones that were mentioned on the assessment but I do have 2 cats and 1 dog that
are susceptible to bringing fleas into the home. I currently give them flea
medicine in the form of a pill but it made me think of the dangers of some
topical flea treatments and the chemicals that are exposed to animals and the
home.
I also have had asthma since I was age 3 so I am very
sensitive to my home environment and the changing seasons. For example, mold in the
house causes my asthma to flare up as well as dust, pet dander and pollen. I also noticed that strong smelling candles have an impact on how I breathe so I am interested in learning more about the chemicals found in certain fragrances.
Hi Marisa,
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way about the assessment. It seemed like a great starting off tool to be able to understand what hazards you might be exposed to, but it didn't go into detail about why those things would be considered bad (i.e., asking about Tuna in the home).
Great post!
Kera
Hi Marisa,
ReplyDeleteI also found the home assessment tool helpful in my understanding of home environmental exposures. Scary to think that there are probably thousands of people who are unaware of some of the harmful exposures we may have in our homes. I personally think public health departments should work on a way to raise awareness of these exposures so that all families can fill out their own home assessment tool and either decrease or eliminate the harmful products they are exposed to at home.
Carmen
Hello Marisa,
ReplyDeleteI am in the same position as you when it comes to disaster preparedness. You make a valid point that we need to have supplies and a plan as they can minimize negative outcomes.
You also brought to my attention the kind of flea medication I give to my own pet. I used to do a topical but changed to the tablet as I became more aware that a topical resulted in unwanted fleas and wanted to reduce negative exposures.
Lastly, I'm glad that your house is free lead free. I think that's what makes it so easy for people to not assess their environment because it's not common to concerned about these kinds of exposures. It is great to have a landlord take the steps to ensure the locations they are renting/selling are safe for their tenants.