M1.5 Assignment: Environmental Health Home Assessment

-


Living in our home for about 3 years, I never thought about what things I could be exposed to. For this assignment we were asked to fill out an assessment tool for environmental health risks. With this tool I discovered that we are exposed to several different  biological, chemical, and radiological agents everyday. For example, to my knowledge I don't believe there was ever a radon test done in my home. Unfortunately the assessment didn't provide too much information on it and I had to look up what it meant to have a radon test done. Radon is a radioactive gas that comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water and gets into the air you breathe. I also found out that being exposed to radon for a long period of time can lead to lung cancer. This assessment helped put into perspective the different exposures we come into contact in our home environment, and how important it is for us to be aware of them.  After my assessment, I saw about 20  places and items that I am exposed to in my current home. I am looking for a new apartment and this assessment tool actually provides valuable information and key questions that should be asked when looking at new places to live! Knowing the age of the home is important, because certain bans protecting you from hazards were enacted over the years, thus, knowing when your home was built will help you know to be aware that you may be exposed to more hazards that new built homes. Basements can be unsafe living areas due to mold, radon, and asbestos etc. , so being aware of these elevated dangers is important. Your home is where you spend a majority of your time. It is important to understand the different exposures that you can come into contact with. 

My home-based environmental health risk assessment:





Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 2, 2018 at 11:09 AM

    Hi Kera,

    I found the Home Assessment tool helpful as well. Our house has not been tested for radon, so it encouraged me to look up some information and talk to my mom about getting it done for our home. I think these assessment tools would be useful for all families. Perhaps requiring new home buyers to complete the assessment might be a great way to have healthier homes.

    Carmen

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownSeptember 2, 2018 at 2:02 PM

    Hi Kera,
    This assessment was very eye opening for me as well and I also had to do some research about radon. I am also unsure if my home has been tested for radon. That is a great idea to use this assessment while searching for a new place to live! So much that we should be aware of when deciding where to live and.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Daisy AlbarranSeptember 4, 2018 at 10:57 PM

    Hello Kera,

    I used this assessment as well when I was going to a few open houses - it it really helpful! You make a great point of certain bans that have been enacted - I suppose one question to keep in mind is how is the enforcement on these bans. I mention this because most of us appear to not have had a radon assessment. Thus, it appears that radon doesn't appear to be a perceived threat when in fact it can be. Furthermore, by using the assessment tool, it makes it easier to identify potential contaminants - which you used while finding a place and that's awesome!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

M1.4 Blog Assignment: List of Environmental Exposures

-
There are several different types of exposures you can come into contact with in your lifetime. You spend the majority of your time at home, work, school, and in the community. It is important to be aware of the chemical, radiological, and biological agents you can be exposed to in those areas. For example, I currently live in Half Moon Bay. In Half Moon Bay it is common to get termites and whenever a property is sold, it is required to be fumigated. When I see so many tented structures, I cant help but wonder how effective are they are sealing and preventing access to those places and what are the lingering effects of sulfuryl fluoride on the things in the home. I did some digging and found an interesting report done by the EPA on fumigation and the risks that it poses to individuals: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-12/documents/_epaoig_20161212-17-p-0053.pdf Even if you feel healthy, it is important to know that you are still being exposed to hazards. One haz...
Read more

M2.3 Household Products

-
Image
In addition to all of the health risks that you can be exposed to through your personal care products, products that you use almost everyday can also pose a risk. The two products that I use a lot and wanted to look up on the Household Product Database were "Nature's Miracle 3 in 1 Stain Remover" and the "Mr. Clean Magic Eraser". I was surprised that the pet stain remover showed minimal risks. I figured that, based on the previous products I have looked up, it would be in the moderate-hazard range since it is a product for pets. The Mr. Clean Magic eraser also surprised me. I assumed that something that markets as "magic" cant be all that good for you. The HPD website showed that it was an irritant, but it also did not have any known hazards. I do think that we need to be more mindful of the different products that we keep in our homes and not just buy products that have "Green", "Organic", "Healthy" in the names. Ever...
Read more

M6.4 Industrial Farming

-
I am aware of the issue of vanishing bees. I found the teatronaturale article very interesting and informative. My dad used to bee keep (part of his many hobbies) in our home in Bakersfield. He taught me how valuable bees are and to not be afraid of them. He explained to me the importance that bees have on the environment and the world we know. This article addressed a lot of the concerns that he had told me about when I was growing up. One thing I did not realize before reading this article, was that loss of pollinators can cause detrimental health effects.  " The researchers found that the complete loss of animal pollinators globally would push an additional 71 million people into vitamin A deficiency and 173 million more into folate deficiency, and would lead to about 1.42 million additional deaths per year from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and malnutrition-related diseases—a 2.7% increase in total yearly deaths. A 50% loss of pollination would result in roughly ...
Read more