M1.5: Environmental Health Home Assessment

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For this assignment, I used my home in Pasadena for the Environmental Health Home Assessment. 
  • Did you discover any environmental risks in your home by completing the home assessment? Upon doing this assessment, I found that we had a number of environmental risks that could use some attention. Our home was built in the 1920s so it was clearly older than 1978, which could cause some issues. We also have a basement and garage attached. I wasn't too sure about the contaminants in our water, which made me want to follow up on getting that tested. I also discovered that our smoke detectors were out of battery, and that if we have an emergency we are definitely not prepared! This prompted me to speak with my brother, and we made plans to create an evacuation plan, print a list of emergency numbers, and start getting supplies for disaster situations. Upon further assessment, I found that we did okay on air fresheners and other chemicals to control odor; we don't really use strong scented cleaners and open the windows when possible. I didn't find any mercury devices, and we do not smoke. 
  • In the home assessment, why did we want to know about the age of your home? It was important to know the age of the home because 1978 was the year that lead-based paint was banned from being used in homes. 
  • Why would we want to know if someone lives in the basement? Living in a basement can pose problems because of the potential of mold, radon, or carbon monoxide. 
  • Who is responsible for home-based environmental health risks? We are responsible for being knowledgeable about our living spaces and homes. Doing this home assessment was very enlightening for me. I realized that there are many things that I don't even think about in terms of environmental health. It has made me more informed and encouraged me to start being more conscious about my home, especially since it is old and we need to work on our emergency/disaster plans.


 

Comments

  1. Ashley SubramaniJanuary 29, 2018 at 10:38 AM

    Hi Loren,

    That's crazy that this assessment helped you realize that the smoke alarm batteries were dead. Luckily it was caught before anything actually happened. That's awesome that this assignment helped you and your family become proactive about being ready for a disaster if it were to happen. You should add a PUR filter to your sink if you're unsure if the water is safe to drink or not. I invested in one this year just to be safe.

    -Ashley Subramani

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. lorensantiagoJanuary 29, 2018 at 8:05 PM

      Yeah, I'm glad I did the assessment and found those things. The PUR filter sounds like a good idea! I currently have a Brita.

      Delete
  2. RaeMay 9, 2018 at 12:38 AM

    Its fascinating what we find out when we do these assessments. Had I done this on my previous house I am not sure how I would feel. My new place had is a vast improvement and I'm glad you fixed your smoke detector.

    ReplyDelete

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