How to Maintain a Healthy and Safe Home

Just as annual medical checkups are important for your well being, yearly examinations of your home are critical to the health of its occupants. Certain poisonings, like carbon monoxide, radon, lead and asbestos, usually go undetected in homes until they have devastating effects on the health of household members. Equally important to a healthy home is a safe one, and that means properly placing smoke detectors throughout a home to protect family members from smoke poisoning.

Maintaining a healthy and safe home begins with a few quick, easy and inexpensive tests. Home safety experts urge homeowners to conduct the following home review at least once a year to ensure a home free of toxins.

CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTION: According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, carbon monoxide is the number one cause of accidental poisoning in the U.S., with an estimated 300 people killed each year from this odorless, sightless gas. Basically, any fuel-burning appliance in your home can cause carbon monoxide poisoning, so it's important that furnaces, water heaters, gas ovens, clothes dryers and fireplaces are operating properly. Not to be overlooked are cars and lawn mowers that sit idling in a home's attached garage, or the use of charcoal grills indoors on sun porches.

Because the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning - dizziness, fatigue, headache and nausea - are similar to the flu, often times the true cause goes undetected until the poison causes loss of consciousness and even death. Although carbon monoxide is impossible to detect with the naked eye, there are some visual checks that you can make around your home to prevent carbon monoxide leaks. If you find any of the following, they should be fixed immediately: moisture inside windows; loose or missing furnace panels; debris or soot falling from chimney, fireplace or other fuel-burning appliance; rusting or water streaking on the chimney or vent; loose or disconnected chimney or vent connections; or loose masonry on the chimney.

A more secure safety measure is installing a carbon monoxide detector outside sleeping areas. The device alerts home occupants that the presence of the gas has reached dangerous levels.

CHECKING FOR LEAD: Like carbon monoxide poisoning, lead poisoning is difficult to detect and has similar flu-like symptoms. Older homes, in particular, are more at risk for high lead content, especially in painted walls, lead pipes, faucets and ground soil. While professional home and soil lead testing is available, there are additional steps homeowners can take to prevent lead poisoning. For instance, dust particles on walls and windowsills with lead-based paint should be cleaned regularly with water and dishwashing detergent. Homeowners with pipes or faucets made of lead should take a few minutes to run the water before using it. Protect any exposed outdoor soil that may contain lead by planting grass, plants, or shrubs.

RADON MONITORING: According to the American Lung Association, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. The gas is created from a natural, radioactive breakdown of uranium, commonly found in rock, soil and water. Radon can seep into your home through cracks in your home's foundation or walls, around construction joints, through gaps in pipes or flooring, or in water supplies.

Like carbon monoxide, radon is odorless and invisible, but can be easily detected with a radon testing kit. A home radon level of 1.3 pCi/L is considered average, while a test reading result of 4 pCi/L or more is considered a high risk level. If your home's reading is high, make arrangements for the necessary repairs by calling your state's Radon Contact for an approved Radon Reduction Contractor in your area.

ASBESTOS INSPECTION: Like radon, asbestos can cause lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. The use of asbestos was banned in 1978, however, some older homes may contain asbestos in insulation, ceilings, floor tile, or carpet. Left undisturbed, asbestos does not create significant health risks, but if the material is crumbling from old age or is damaged by water, precautions should be taken. One way to minimize the release of asbestos fibers into the air, especially during home renovations, is to keep the material wet. For extensive repairs, professional asbestos removal services are available.

DETECTING SMOKE: Not surprisingly, most home deaths from fires occur between 11pm and 7am when smoke and poisonous gases overcome sleeping victims. For full safety protection, fire officials recommend installing smoke detectors on every living level of the home, inside each bedroom and in the main hallways outside each bedroom area. Be sure to purchase smoke detectors that display labels indicating their certification by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or Factory Mutual (FM). Maintaining smoke detectors is just as important as their installation. Battery-operated detectors should be tested once a month and cleaned regularly of dust and cobwebs.