National Center for Healthy Housing

Recently, five lives were lost in a tragedy involving carbon monoxide poisoning in Oxon Hill, MD. What killed them? It was carbon monoxide (CO) that leaked into the house from rusted and separated exhaust pipes on a natural gas furnace. According to the Washington Post, CO levels of between 140 parts per million to as high as 560 parts per million were found in the home. To put that number in perspective, 0 to 5 parts per million are considered “normal” and it takes only 30 parts per million to be fatal over time.

My family was coming to town and I didn’t have time to clean the house so I hired a cleaning crew using a “groupon” that I bought online. A crew showed up while I was getting ready for work and I caught a whiff of ammonia and other chemicals. I decided to intervene and let them know about my preference for greener products. I was prepared for some eye-rolling, but was pleasantly surprised when the crew happily agreed to swap their standard chemicals for vinegar. They told me that vinegar is actually preferred for wood floors since it doesn’t leave a build-up like chemical products.

I’m not sure if it’s because or I work at the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) or despite working here, but when my daughter’s pediatrician suggested that she might have “a little bit of asthma” I clearly remember the nurse patting my shoulder and saying, “Are you okay, mom?” At the tender age of 11 months, the thought of her struggling to breathe was horrifying. Perhaps the “little bit of asthma” comment by her doctor was meant to soften the blow.

I had the good fortune to be working for Senator Jack Reed in 1999 when he introduced a resolution (S. Res 199) to establish National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week in October. It is both ironic and sad that during the one week each year when we celebrate childhood lead poisoning prevention, we are simultaneously engaged in a battle to protect one of the key federal childhood lead poisoning prevention programs from evisceration.

I’m sure everyone likes to live pest-free. I know I do! Therefore be on the look-out for signs (droppings, for example) of pests. Did you know that landlords and property managers of pre-1978 housing are required by Title X to disclose the presence of lead-based paint to their tenants prior to move in? One should always be comfortable and confident in his/her decision on a living place.