Health Hazard

Home should be a healthy and safe haven for families.  But did you know that your home may contain pollutants that can cause adverse health effects? Some come from living organisms and are grouped as biological contaminants. Examples are bacteria, viruses, dust mites, animal dander and molds. Other pollutants, which are not associated with living organisms, are classified as chemical contaminants.

The detrimental health effects of some, but not all, chemicals are well known.  As a result, the precautionary approach, which recommends that it is “better to be safe than sorry” has been widely adopted by governments and other organizations - even when cause and effect relationships between chemicals and health outcomes are not fully established.

Pollutants in your home may affect all family members, but children and elderly family members and those who are ill or disabled (who may rarely leave the home environment) are the most vulnerable.

Reduce Your Exposure:

Your home can be healthier if biological and chemical contaminants are reduced, removed, eliminated or isolated and contained.  Some pollutants are easier to deal with than others.  For example, those that you bring into your home are easier to remove and eliminate than those that originate from the materials used to build your house.  Remember, some environmental contaminants (such as mould, lead, asbestos and mercury) may be toxic, so it may be necessary to hire a professional to ensure they are dealt with safely.

Since it is generally known that the greater the dose of exposure to chemical contaminants, the greater the impact on health, it is important to reduce concentrations of chemicals in the home.  You may not be able to completely eliminate exposure to some chemicals in the home - but any reduction in exposure is a step in the right direction and could make adverse health effects less likely.

Children are particularly vulnerable:

While the overall health of children in Canada is improving, certain childhood disorders are on the rise including asthma, learning and behavioural disorders, obesity and several cancers among young adults. Environmental exposures have been associated with all these health outcomes. 

And yet, harm from environmental exposures is largely preventable.  Some steps are being taken, but more needs to be done to prevent pollution of the environment and eliminate or reduce fetal and childhood exposures to harmful chemicals through consumer products as well as in home, school and community environments.

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