I discovered so many environmental risks during this assessment, it was especially eye opening since we are planning on remodeling our house. This EH assessment pointed out things we need to update and regulate to our safety standards when it is time to remodel. I discovered using gas dryers and heaters should be ventilated outdoors, and looking at our set up, we saw it was not properly ventilated!
I personally became more cautious of the chemicals being used when we got our puppy a year ago. We have decided to transition a lot of the chemicals we use in our home to make sure it is pet friendly and safe (especially since dogs like to lap up things with their mouths and noses!) We transitioned our cleaning chemicals to non-toxic safe concoctions that use real ingredients like lemons and oils, mixed with baking soda. Being able to educate yourself and others on making your home environmentally safe can do nothing more but benefit yourself and your family members. I am much more aware of my surroundings in my home and have already searched up suggestions for our future remodel on environmentally safety/ healthy choices.
It is important to know the age of your home because of the change of chemicals and materials used to build houses have been traced to cause health defects due to inhaling or being exposed to them. Piping, asbestos and other materials were popular materials used cheaply that caused health damages to large populations.
Wanting to know if someone lives in your basement is important to test for any chemicals known to be more prevalent in these areas, such as car emissions, clean ventilation, and hazardous materials that could be surfacing below the house that may fester in the basement.
Home owners/residents are responsible for home-based environmental health risks.
