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Feature spreads from Your Health magazine Capital Health Your Health – Capital Health's magazine for living well September/October 2006 43 YH_sep-oct06_42-49.indd 43 9/7/06 15:23:25 Your Health – Capital Health's magazine for living well 42 September/October 2006 We might think we are keeping our houses clean but how confident are you about the health of your home? By Phoebe Dey | ILLUSTRATIONS BY OTTO STEININGER How to Have a Healthy Home ince you spend 90 per cent of your time there, it is important to take a room-by-room tour of your house and see where you pass, or where you need a prescription for change. Ken Dong, environmental health officer at Capital Health, says three key elements will help maintain a healthy home: keeping it safe, dry and clean. "Overall, watch out for safety hazards that are physical, biologi- cal and chemical," says Dong. "As for being dry, ensure that you are not affected by water infiltration, leaks and excessive moisture. And finally, make efforts to keep all areas of the dwelling clean." It sounds simple enough, but how are you measuring up? s YH_sep-oct06_42-49.indd 42 9/7/06 15:23:08 Your Health – Capital Health's magazine for living well September/October 2006 45 be repaired. Avoid mold by keeping your home dry; it will help keep such illnesses as asthma, congestion and allergy-related symptoms at bay. "All ventilation fans, whether in the kitchen or the bath- room, should be functioning properly to draw excessive moisture out of these highly-used areas," says Dong. "High moisture levels – a result of con- densation – can create poor indoor air quality problems that affect highly-sensitive people, like young children and the elderly." Indoor air quality throughout the entire house, says Dong, is only as good as one's liv- ing and cleaning habits. In general, opening a window to breathe in fresh air is fi ne but be aware of the wind direction and environmen- tal conditions. Is someone cutting the grass nearby? Is it springtime seed and pollen sea- son? Is road construction or industrial work occurring nearby? Might particles from a forest fi re, even miles away, be heading your way? If so, you may be better off keeping the windows closed, says Dong. Let's move into the living room, which bears the brunt of the household traffi c. If you have chil- dren or a dog, or both, rolling around together on the fl oor, vacuum the carpets and wash the fl oors on a regular basis. But, in keeping with the theme of breathing easy, check your vac- uum cleaner. It can even be the source of poor indoor air quality. Either use a HEPA (high effi ciency particulate) fi lter with your machine or a central vacuuming system that vents out- side, says Dong. If allergies or asthma are a concern, you may also want to replace heavy drapes and curtains with blinds or lightweight curtains since there will be less surface area for dust to gather. It has been said that almost 85% of house- hold dirt comes from our shoes, so some sim- ple maintenance measures, such as taking off your shoes, and washing pets' paws will go a long way. Although it's not limited to the living room, lead poisoning, particularly in homes built before 1960, is also cause for concern. Your house is at risk of lead ex - posure if your plumb- ing was installed before 1990, or if you live near industry where lead has been used. Your best bet is to have your water, soil or paint tested by profes- sionals and then you can assess your treatment options more effectively. What kind of environmen- tal nightmares might be lurking in the bedroom? Well, dust mites for one, although they don't dis- criminate where they make themselves comfortable. These microscopic creatures cannot be seen by the naked eye yet their waste can accumulate over time. They can cause allergic reactions in particularly sen- sitive people, but it still helps to keep them at bay. One way to do this is to dust, vacuum and do the laundry regularly. And keep the relative humidity low – mites need over 55% humidity to grow, whereas people can be quite comfort- able at 30% humidity. What kind of environmental nightmares might be lurking in the bedroom? Well, dust mites for one, although they don't discriminate where they make themselves comfortable. YH_sep-oct06_42-49.indd 45 9/7/06 15:24:17 Your Health – Capital Health's magazine for living well September/October 2006 47 Hidden Hazards Late last spring I gave myself a black eye. My bike lock, which was attached to the back of my backpack, hit me when I bent over in my yard to pick up my toaster oven. The toaster oven was outside because I'd set fire to it earlier in the day, in a failed attempt to toast coconut. By Debby Waldman | ILLUSTRATIONS BY OTTO STEININGER I considered both incidents accidents, until I spoke to Dr. Louis Francescutti, Director of the Alberta Center for Injury Control & Research, and an emergency room doctor at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. "There's no such thing as an accident," says Dr. Francescutti. "As long as we continue to call them accidents, the next logical train of thought is that it's an accident and there's nothing we can do about it. Or, if you really want to absolve responsibility, you call it 'a freak accident.' I've never had someone come into Emergency clutching their chest and saying, 'I've had a freak heart attack.' Every accident that occurs, we can tell you why it occurred." Accidents are the leading cause of death for people ages one to 44 in Alberta and a lead- ing cause of disability for people in the same age group, says Kathy Holgate, Data and Communication Coordinator for KIDSAFE Connection, a pediatric injury prevention pro- gram at the Stollery Chidlren's Hospital. Every year in Alberta, approximately 1,300 people die from injuries caused by, among other things, car crashes, drownings, fires, scaldings, decapi- tations, inadvertently shooting themselves or being mauled by animals. It's true that some injuries seem more predict- able than others – those caused, say, by drivers who chat on cellphones while driving, by ama- teur home-improvement types operating table saws, or by children running with scissors. But if you backtrack and consider what led to an injury, chances are you'll see how it could have been prevented. In an effort to help decrease the number of not-so-accidental injuries, here's a list of some of the most common and dangerous hidden haz- ards – things you wouldn't expect to be danger- ous, but often are. YH_sep-oct06_42-49.indd 47 9/7/06 15:25:04 Your Health – Capital Health's magazine for living well September/October 2006 45 be repaired. Avoid mold by keeping your home dry; it will help keep such illnesses as asthma, congestion and allergy-related symptoms at bay. "All ventilation fans, whether in the kitchen or the bath- room, should be functioning properly to draw excessive moisture out of these highly-used areas," says Dong. "High moisture levels – a result of con- densation – can create poor indoor air quality problems that affect highly-sensitive people, like young children and the elderly." Indoor air quality throughout the entire house, says Dong, is only as good as one's liv- ing and cleaning habits. In general, opening a window to breathe in fresh air is fi ne but be aware of the wind direction and environmen- tal conditions. Is someone cutting the grass nearby? Is it springtime seed and pollen sea- son? Is road construction or industrial work occurring nearby? Might particles from a forest fi re, even miles away, be heading your way? If so, you may be better off keeping the windows closed, says Dong. Let's move into the living room, which bears the brunt of the household traffi c. If you have chil- dren or a dog, or both, rolling around together on the fl oor, vacuum the carpets and wash the fl oors on a regular basis. But, in keeping with the theme of breathing easy, check your vac- uum cleaner. It can even be the source of poor indoor air quality. Either use a HEPA (high effi ciency particulate) fi lter with your machine or a central vacuuming system that vents out- side, says Dong. If allergies or asthma are a concern, you may also want to replace heavy drapes and curtains with blinds or lightweight curtains since there will be less surface area for dust to gather. It has been said that almost 85% of house- hold dirt comes from our shoes, so some sim- ple maintenance measures, such as taking off your shoes, and washing pets' paws will go a long way. Although it's not limited to the living room, lead poisoning, particularly in homes built before 1960, is also cause for concern. Your house is at risk of lead ex - posure if your plumb- ing was installed before 1990, or if you live near industry where lead has been used. Your best bet is to have your water, soil or paint tested by profes- sionals and then you can assess your treatment options more effectively. What kind of environmen- tal nightmares might be lurking in the bedroom? Well, dust mites for one, although they don't dis- criminate where they make themselves comfortable. These microscopic creatures cannot be seen by the naked eye yet their waste can accumulate over time. They can cause allergic reactions in particularly sen- sitive people, but it still helps to keep them at bay. One way to do this is to dust, vacuum and do the laundry regularly. And keep the relative humidity low – mites need over 55% humidity to grow, whereas people can be quite comfort- able at 30% humidity. What kind of environmental nightmares might be lurking in the bedroom? Well, dust mites for one, although they don't discriminate where they make themselves comfortable. YH_sep-oct06_42-49.indd 45 9/7/06 15:24:17 Your Health – Capital Health's magazine for living well September/October 2006 49 child will. That's why it's important that you find these things before they do." Holgate recommends covering exercise equipment, unplugging it and supervising as much as possible. Latex balloons. Latex balloons are particularly dangerous because children can and will chew on them. In addition to exhaling to blow up the balloon, they'll often inhale, sucking the balloon to the back of the throat, where it creates a seal in the esophagus, leading to a choking problem. "Choose mylar," Holgate says. "It's more expensive, but it's much safer. When a latex balloon breaks, it breaks into tiny pieces and those pieces can be easily ingested. When a mylar balloon breaks, it deflates, and it's still in a big piece. It's less likely a child will ingest it." Shopping carts. Only small children should ride in shopping carts, and they must be properly strapped in with a seat belt, and not standing in the basket. When toddlers ride in the main part of the shopping cart they're free to stand up. If they see some- thing they want, they'll reach. Their weight is redistributed and they may either tumble out of the cart or tip it over, landing head first. "Head injuries are a big concern, especially at a young age, and you don't want a child to have a head injury as a result of falling out of a shop- ping cart," Holgate says. If you can't keep your child in the cart, consider making alternate arrangements. "Maybe you have a neighbour with a little one. They can look after yours when you go shopping, and you can look after theirs when they do their errands." Overheating laptops. If your laptop gets so hot you can't touch it without oven mitts, you need to bring it to the repair shop, says Steve Sutphen, Faculty Service Officer and research support for the Faculty of Computing Science at the University of Alberta. Although Sutphen doesn't know any of the more than 40 people whose laptops have caught fire in the United States and Canada since 2001, the units can overheat. Substandard parts are increasingly entering the supply chain, and when they're installed in small, powerful, un-venti- lated laptops, they can be especially dangerous. Laptops are warm unless they're turned off. It's important that you determine right away how warm yours gets. That way you'll have a base- line from which to judge if it begins to overheat. In such instances, turn the computer off, give it a couple of hours to cool down, and then turn it on. If it gets too hot right away, bring it to a repair shop. You might also check the manufacturer's website to see if there's been a recall on any parts. In the past couple of years, companies including Hewlett-Packard, Dell, and Apple have recalled faulty batteries. Barbecue bristles. If you clean your barbecue grill with a wire brush, make sure you rinse carefully afterwards. The bristles can stick to the grill and then get stuck to food. Eventually they can wind up lodged in the esophagus of an unlucky diner. Among the bristle-removal procedures performed by doctors at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children in the last few years, one was on a 15-year-old boy who suffered a perforated esophagus because the bristle went unnoticed for 10 days. Then the boy became feverish and his throat swelled to a point where he couldn't eat properly. He underwent surgery after an X-ray revealed the 3-centimetre-long bristle in his throat. Chairs as stepstools. Falls are a leading cause of hospitalizations in Alberta, often because someone is doing something they shouldn't. "We typically see, in a home environment, the little old granny who has to change a lightbulb or move a picture," Dr. Francescutti says. "She stands on the chair, forgets it swivels, falls down, and breaks her hip." The solution: get someone else to change the bulb or move the picture, Dr. Francescutti says. "Someone who is not going to fall off." According to Francescutti, the most common words spoken by "acci- dent" victims in Emergency are "I never thought this could happen to me." And yet, as he points out, prevention is as basic as ensuring that you use equipment as it was intended, you take proper precautions when working with potentially hazardous materials, and you provide supervi- sion when necessary. "If you start off by saying injuries are a disease no different than cancer or heart disease, you're starting off in the right direc- tion," he says. "This disease is totally predictable and preventable." YH_sep-oct06_42-49.indd 49 9/7/06 15:28:09 Your Health – Capital Health's magazine for living well 44 September/October 2006 Now head into the bathroom and look beyond the sparkling faucets and shiny linoleum. One point often overlooked in this room, says Dong, is how people store their personal hygiene effects. These products, or any others meant for internal or sanitary use, should be held in a dry, cool spot and not in a cabinet with a leaking bathroom drain. The moisture and continual leakage may lead to mildew and mold growth, eventually contaminating the product. Although the bathroom is mostly used for primping and bathing, this space may likely have hosted the odd diaper change, been a fi rst- aid station or witnessed waste being dumped down the toilet. Because of these varied uses it is vital to have a sanitary work surface to prevent contamination and infection of open wounds and vulnerable areas of the body, says Dong. To make sure this area is sterile, wash the tiles and shower curtain regularly to pre- vent mold. Any leaks in the bathroom, or any other space in the house, should be treated as soon as they are detected. Immediately put a bucket under the offending region and empty the bucket frequently to avoid water damage to the surrounding cabinet or fl oor until the leak can how to have a healthy home Let's start in the kitchen, a room that is often the heart of many homes. The easiest recipe to follow is to keep it clean. Wipe down all sur- faces with a good household detergent and follow manu- facturers' directions when mixing solutions. Pay particular attention to the sink and cutting board, says Dong, which can be especially problem- atic when preparing such foods as direct-to-serving, salad or sliced meats. "It is actu- ally preferable to have multiple cutting boards, designating one for raw vegetables, one for raw meat and one for ready-to-eat foods," says Dong. "And always wash and air-dry all uten- sils soon after you use them to prevent bacterial build up." Speaking of bacteria, sponges and kitchen rags harbour the most infectious germs. And kitchen sinks should be disinfected daily (not with those contaminated dishcloths or sponges). Trash cans should also be disinfected and rinsed monthly. It is also easy for hidden dangers to fi nd their way into your fridge. To lessen the risk of getting a food- borne illness or food poisoning, take the following steps. Store cooked or ready-to-eat meals on shelves above raw meat to avoid any drippings and keep the temperature below 4˚ C. Cool, cover and refrig- erate leftovers within two hours of a meal to prevent bacterial growth. In your cupboards, keep cleaners or solvents separate from your food. People often store cleaning agents under the kitchen sink, which is fi ne, says Dong, but that same space should not include cereal, cooking powders, or other consumables. "You do not want someone to make the proverbial error of mistaking rat poison for sugar," says Dong. Speaking of bacteria, sponges and kitchen rags harbour the most infectious germs. And kitchen sinks should be disinfected daily. YH_sep-oct06_42-49.indd 44 9/7/06 15:24:02 Your Health – Capital Health's magazine for living well 48 September/October 2006 Anything heated in a microwave oven. All microwave ovens are not created equal. Some are more powerful than others. The soup that's still lukewarm after cooking in your home microwave for three minutes may be scaldingly hot after less than a minute in the unit at your office. If you don't have an owner's manual to consult, cook in increments of 10 to 15 seconds and check after each session. Superheated water – water heated past its boiling point – can explode after being removed from a microwave, particularly if it has been heated in a clean, deep cup or disturbed even slightly by the addition of dry substances such as coffee or sugar. If the dry substances are added beforehand, the risk of explosion is diminished. In England in 2004, a nine-year-old girl was nearly blinded after a hard-boiled egg that she'd reheated in the microwave exploded while she brought it to the table. She needed surgery to repair her vision. Dr. Francescutti hasn't seen any egg-related injuries, but he has seen young women burned because the wax they heated in the microwave, to use for hair removal, overheated and exploded. It's crucial to supervise children who are using a microwave, warns Holgate. "Microwaves don't heat evenly, so not only do you have the dan- ger of food or water exploding or spilling, there's a risk of a burn injury when the child starts eating because one area is cold and another is over- heated," she says. "If you have a young child, don't allow them to use the microwave by themselves – provide them with healthy snacks that don't involve a microwave. It's the parents' responsibility to make sure the food is cool enough for the child." Back yard trampolines. "Kid killers" is what Dr. Francescutti calls them. "They're designed to maim and kill kids and they also kill drunk adolescent males." During the first week of summer holidays, four youngsters came to the Royal Alexandra Emergency Room with serious fractures caused by tram- poline injuries. Among them was a seven-year-old boy who was catapulted off a backyard trampoline when his brother, more than twice his age and size, decided to hop on and bounce the smaller child. "The kid almost went into the stratosphere, and when he landed, he broke his arm," says Dr. Francescutti. Dr. Francescutti doesn't advocate outlawing trampolines altogether, but he says they don't belong in residential settings, they belong in a gym, surrounded by plenty of trained, experienced spotters. "In a backyard, there's never enough people around to do proper spotting," he says. Falling furniture. A few years ago, trag- edy struck in an Edmonton home when a toddler crawled on top of a dresser in the middle of the night. In the morning, the parents came into the bedroom and found the child dead, killed by the piece of furniture that had toppled over. "People don't realize that book cases, TVs on unsta- ble stands, even ovens can be dangerous," says Holgate, who has heard of children being injured when they opened an oven door to use it as a stair to get to something else. "We don't expect people to supervise 24/7, we know that's impossible but you have to man- age your risks," she says. Where furniture is concerned, if yours doesn't come with brackets to anchor it to the wall, you can buy brackets at stores that sell children's products. Installing carpet and putting up wallpaper. Powerful adhesives are used in both cases and their vapours can build up in the air. If they find an open flame, such as a pilot light for a water heater, furnace, or gas fireplace, they'll ignite, which can cause an explosive and deadly fire. To prevent injury, make sure you're working in a well-ventilated area with all pilot lights turned off. Exercise equipment. Bennett Matthews bought a treadmill when her son was two years old, hoping the equipment would help her drop the last of her baby weight. Weeks later, lit- tle Joseph decided to join his mother during her exercise regime. When he crawled onto the treadmill, Matthews lost her balance, tripped, and broke a bone in her foot. Such injuries aren't uncommon, and they're just as likely to happen to the youngsters themselves, who are curious about their parents' exercise equipment and have no qualms about hopping on, often when nobody else is looking. "There are cases where children do get their fingers into areas where they shouldn't be, with quite catastrophic effects," Holgate says. "There can be some severe tendon damage." It's natural for children to be curious about things in the home. "Children explore. They want to figure out how things work," Holgate says. "If you haven't found all those hidden hazards, chances are your hidden hazards YH_sep-oct06_42-49.indd 48 9/7/06 15:26:26

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