| Are you finding yourself getting the sniffles when | | | | department for a recommendation for private |
| it's not allergy season, or feeling as if you're | | | | labs that do testing for lead. If the test comes |
| getting the flu when there's nothing going around? | | | | back positive, make sure that you cover all your |
| Believe it or not, your own home might be | | | | walls with a coat of encapsulant to prevent |
| making you sick. Whether it's the chemicals in | | | | further contamination. You might also want to |
| your furniture, hidden mold growing underneath | | | | consider replacing those windows and baseboards |
| your sink, or something even worse, you may | | | | if they've been around since the '70s. |
| not be as safe and healthy in your own home as | | | | Formaldehyde |
| you think. | | | | This chemical has been known to cause allergy-like |
| Ironically, in a noble bid to make our planet | | | | symptoms, as well as nausea and dizziness. Liver |
| healthier, we may be making our own homes | | | | and central nervous system damage is possible |
| unhealthier. Being efficient with our energy means | | | | through increased exposure. If you've recently |
| having well-insulated homes. This is great for our | | | | added new floors, carpets or furniture to your |
| heating and our air conditioning but not so great | | | | home, you might be at risk to formaldehyde. The |
| when we may have toxic air inside that can't get | | | | adhesive used to lay carpet and to hold together |
| out. | | | | wood furniture and floors usually contains |
| It's important to know what some of the most | | | | formaldehyde which then gets released into the |
| common household toxins are and how you can | | | | air. The good thing is, formaldehyde dissipates into |
| get rid of them. | | | | the air, so if you've had your new carpet for a |
| Radon | | | | few months, it should have all circulated away by |
| Next to smoking, radon gas is the leading cause | | | | now. If not, the solution is simply ventilation. Leave |
| of lung cancer. This colorless, odorless gas seeps | | | | your windows open for a little while after you get |
| from the soil and can make it's way undetected | | | | that new furniture to allow it to properly dissipate. |
| into any home in the country. Getting high levels | | | | You can also ask the carpet company to let the |
| of radon in your home is a very rare but very | | | | carpeting air out in the factory for a few weeks |
| serious possibility. To protect yourself, buy a | | | | before delivering it. If you really want to splurge, |
| radon test kit from a hardware store (they can | | | | you can find improvements and furniture made |
| run from $10 to $20 bucks) and place it in your | | | | using VOC (volatile organic compounds) free |
| home for two days. If levels are high, you'll have | | | | building materials, though these are generally more |
| to hire a radon removal expert to come in and | | | | expensive than normal. |
| install a venting system. | | | | Mold |
| Arsenic | | | | Though not quite as serious a risk as some of |
| Arsenic is a poison that has been linked to cancer | | | | these other toxins, mold can exacerbate allergies |
| and has a wide range of harmful side effects. Up | | | | and asthma and make your home a less |
| until 2005, this chemical was used as a | | | | comfortable place to live. Where there's water |
| preservative for wood. Any home with a wooden | | | | (and especially water damage) there's the |
| deck, porch or fence built before 2005 may be at | | | | possibility of mold. If you have a small amount, |
| risk. The chemical can seep into the soil and kill | | | | you can clean it yourself simply with water and |
| nearby plants. It can also come off on your hands | | | | detergent, but if you find a large amount of mold |
| when touched, making it especially dangerous for | | | | it might be best to contact a professional to |
| children who like to put their hands in their | | | | prevent the mold spores from spreading around |
| mouths. If you're worried about the possibility of | | | | the house. This can get pricey, depending on how |
| arsenic poisoning, the solution is pretty simple - | | | | bad it is. Your homeowner's insurance may cover |
| treat the wood with an oil-based stain every year | | | | this, but be careful before you ask them. |
| so that when it's touched, only the stain is | | | | Insurance companies have recently started |
| touched and not the arsenic. | | | | excluding mold coverage and admitting water |
| Lead | | | | damage to them may get you slapped with |
| We've all heard of lead poisoning, which can effect | | | | higher premiums and deductibles. |
| the central nervous system and the kidneys. In | | | | It is most likely that your home is perfectly safe, |
| the '70s, many homes were painted with | | | | but if you find yourself feeling ill often while you're |
| lead-based paint. If this paint is ingested or inhaled | | | | in your own house, you might want to consider |
| (such as when it gets ground down to a fine | | | | checking for some of these toxins. Sometimes a |
| powder on your windowsills) it can impair physical | | | | little caution and prevention can save you a lot of |
| and mental development. Call your state housing | | | | grief down the road. |