With recent news reports about the dangers of lead, toxic chemicals and other environmental hazards, you may feel alarmed about threats potentially lurking in your own home.
But there’s a lot you can do to make your home safer. Palo Alto Medical Foundation pediatrician Paul Protter, M.D., offers simple steps to create a healthier home environment for your family.
Lead is a naturally occurring heavy metal found in soil and a wide variety of products, including paint, plumbing materials and ceramics. Lead exposure can cause learning and behavior problems, slowed growth and other health issues in both children and adults. “It’s mostly a problem for kids’ brains that are growing very quickly, and especially for toddlers," Dr. Protter says.
In 2015 and 2016, newspapers across the country raised frightening concerns about lead in municipal drinking water. Lead can leach from corroded, lead-containing pipes and fixtures and from lead solder used to join pipes, more common in structures built before 1986.
Although drinking water made the news, the more common problem is lead-based paint, used in homes built before 1978. You usually don’t need to worry about intact paint, but peeling, chipping, damaged or damp lead-based paint presents a serious hazard. Surfaces that get a lot of wear and tear, such as doors and windows, can also release lead paint dust.
Fortunately, lead poisoning rates in U.S. children are declining. “We tend to screen kids for possible lead exposure, and we very rarely find any detectable lead,” Dr. Protter says. “In the few cases I’ve found lead, it’s almost always been from something that the family brought in from outside the country,” such as a body-care or cooking product.
If you do suspect lead-based paint in your home, get a professional inspection. If you rent in an older building, notify your landlord if you see any peeling or chipped paint.
Don’t remove lead-based paint yourself. You can temporarily reduce exposure by painting damaged surfaces, but hire a certified contractor to remove lead hazards permanently.
Consult the Environmental Protection Agency’s lead website for guidance on testing your water, protecting your family from lead hazards, and how to find certified inspectors and remediation contractors.
Studies suggest that chemicals used in some plastics, such as bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates, can disrupt hormones and may cause brain changes, cancer and fertility issues.
“Other chemicals in plastics may or may not be harmful, but we do know that they leach from the plastic and can enter your system,” Dr. Protter says. “It’s like one giant experiment that we don’t know the outcome to yet.”
To limit your family’s exposure to potentially harmful plastic chemicals, Dr. Protter suggests these habits:
Dr. Protter does not recommend bottled water as an alternative to tap water. “The water inside the bottle isn’t any safer than tap water,” he says, but chemicals from plastic bottles may leach into the water.
Air It Out
Furniture, electronics and building materials such as paint and flooring may contain flame retardants, formaldehyde and other potentially harmful chemicals.
“We’ve brought a lot of chemicals into our lives, and then we’ve insulated our homes so well that those chemicals basically stay with us,” Dr. Protter says. “Airing out the home is a big part of trying to make a healthier environment."
Surprisingly, cooking causes significant indoor air pollution in most homes. Studies show that cooking, especially when you don’t use a range hood, can expose you to pollutants at higher levels than allowed by outdoor air quality standards. Use an exhaust fan while cooking, and air out the kitchen afterwards, Dr. Protter advises.
Clean Up
Chemicals such as flame-retardants and pesticides can get tracked into your home and escape from furniture, electronics and other household items over time, building up in house dust. Reduce your exposure by vacuuming and dusting regularly.
Also, wash your and your children’s hands often. “Chemicals tend to cling to hands,” Dr. Protter says. “If you’re about to eat, you might ingest the chemicals, and you could also absorb some chemicals through the skin.”
Keep a Smoke-Free Home
Don’t smoke indoors, and ask others to smoke outside.
Ditch Nonstick Pans
Non-stick cookware coatings such as Teflon may be easier to clean, but these products can release potentially harmful fumes, especially when used at high temperatures. Use cast-iron or stainless-steel cookware instead, and choose oven-safe glass or ceramic items for baking.
Choose Greener Products
“Many cleaning products release dangerous chemicals, such as benzene, formaldehyde and even chloroform, into the air,” Dr. Protter says. These can exacerbate asthma and irritate skin and are linked to reproductive problems and cancer.
“You can protect yourself and the environment by diluting some cleaning products and using less of them, or buying more ‘green’ products,” Dr. Protter says. The Environmental Working Group (http://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners) offers a helpful shopping guide to safe choices. Or use common household items such as vinegar, soap, baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to make your own inexpensive, less-toxic alternatives.