How healthy is your home?
Consider This
Indoor pollutants can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, dry or runny eyes, congestion, and sore throats. They can also increase the symptoms of asthma.
There are many simple things that you can do to improve the health of your home.
Use the following questions to help you identify various factors that affect indoor air quality.
Improve the Environmental Quality of Your Home
Answer these yes or no questions with your family to see how you can improve environmental quality around your home.
- Has your home been tested for radon?
- Do your regularly change the filters on your heating and air conditioning units to improve efficiency and reduce allergens?
- Do you use household cleaners that are nontoxic and safe for use around children and pets?
- Have you checked your home for mold and mildew?
- Do you use fans in the kitchen and bathrooms to prevent moisture buildup that can lead to the growth of mold and mildew?
- Are car engines turned off when the car is in the garage or near air intakes? (Idling produces dangerous gasses such as carbon monoxide.)
- Have you replaced old thermometers that contain mercury with newer mercury-free thermometers? (Thermometers containing mercury should be properly disposed of to prevent mercury contamination.)
- If you have pesticides, are they stored outside?
- If you have pesticides, are they use according to label instructions?
- Do you use alternatives to pesticides, such as integrated pest management
For more information on reducing indoor air pollution, visit the U.S. EPA website: www.epa.gov/iaq/index.html.
Get the Materials
- Download this Home Connection: Improving Environmental Quality, adapted from PLT’s GreenSchools Investigations.
- Descarga la actividad en español: Mejorar la calidad ambiental
