What is a healthy home?


The healthy house picture shows the seven principles of a healthy home, keep it maintained, pest free, clean, dry, safe, well-ventilated, and contaminant free.  If these principles are applied, you can have a healthy home whether you live in a newly constructed home or one built over 100 years ago.

EPA offers a virtual tour of indoor air quality issues found in your home  Click here to take the tour.

 


 

Mission Statement:

Linn County Healthy Homes supports families in their desire to have a healthy and safe living environment through promotion of healthy homes concepts in the community by means of education, assessment, and collaboration.




                  
Order radon test kits - Homeowners



 








Seven Principles of a Healthy Homes

  • Keep me Maintained:  Poorly maintained homes are at risk for fall and trip injuries, moisture intrusion, and pest problems.  Deteriorated paint in older housing (pre-1978) can present a lead-based paint hazard.  Each year, 1,100 to 1,500 children are newly diagnosed as lead poisoned.  
  • Keep me Pest Free:  Cockroaches and mice are asthma triggers.  Pests can contaminate food and destroy property.  Pesticides used to treat cockroaches, mice, and bedbugs can exacerbate health problems.  Americans use more than a billion pounds of pesticides each year.  Every 13 seconds in the U.S., a poison control center answers a call about a possible poisoning.  More than 90% of these exposures occur in the home.
  • Keep me Clean:  Dust mites are an asthma trigger.  Clutter provides food and harborage for some pests and can present a trip hazard. 
  • Keep me Dry:  Damp houses provide a nurturing environment for mites, roaches, rodents, and mold, all of which can be asthma triggers.  
  • Keep me Safe:  Falls are the leading cause of non-fatal injuries for all children ages 0 to 19.  Every day, approximately 8,000 children in the U.S. are treated in emergency departments for fall related injuries.  This adds up to approximately 2.8 million children each year.   
  • Keep me Ventilated:  Increasing the fresh air supply in a home helps improve respiratory health.
  • Keep me Contaminant Free:  Chemical exposures include radon, carbon monoxide, pesticides, volatile organic compounds, and environmental tobacco smoke.  


 






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