603 LIVING / HEALTH
The Healthful Home How to reduce common health hazards BY KAREN A. JAMROG / ILLUSTRATION BY MADELINE McMAHON
T
he pandemic upended many aspects of daily life, including where we spend our time. Especially with telecommute arrangements likely to remain more common than they were prior to COVID-19, our home environments matter more than ever. And while we like to think of home as a safe haven, mold, carbon monoxide, pesticides, insects, secondhand smoke and other factors can endanger health. Here we highlight a handful of common home hazards and offer tips to keep you and your family safe.
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nhmagazine.com | June 2021
Lead paint Federal legislation in 1978 banned the use of lead-based paint in residential settings, but according to the EPA, lead paint still exists in millions of homes. With New England’s plentiful stock of older homes, lead paint is a special concern in our region, says Beverly Baer Drouin, section administrator of the Healthy Homes and Environment Section at the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Contrary to what many believe, lead paint can be hazardous even if it’s not visibly
peeling or chipped. Daily activity, such as walking up and down lead-painted stairs or opening and shutting lead-painted doors and windows, creates friction that can generate lead dust, putting children, in particular, but also adults at risk. One solution is to cover it. If lead paint is present in your home, “you need to keep it enclosed or encapsulated with something else,” Baer Drouin says. For example, you can apply a liquid coating of an encapsulant (available at hardware and paint stores) over the lead paint, or install carpeting on lead-painted floors or stairs. Lead-painted windows can be swapped out with vinyl replacement ones. Dealing with lead is not always a simple matter, though, so do your homework and consider hiring a pro.
