Environmentally healthy homes and communities. Children's special vulnerabilities.

We like to think that our homes are a safe haven. However, in recent years we have been discovering that certain products, designs, and even the siting of our homes can create health risks. When families moved into a new development in Waynesville, NC, called "Barber Orchard," they were ecstatic about their new surroundings--the fresh air, mountain views, and clean water. When one of the new residents had his well water tested, their dream homes took on a different character. The water was reflective of the years of pesticide use on the former orchard on which their homes were sited; it contained DDT, DDE, and benzene hydrochlorides (Manual, 2000). The soil was contaminated with lead and arsenic, also the result of pesticide applications. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent in an emergency response team, removed toposil, and advised residents to install carbon filters on their water systems. Sometimes, we unintentionally bring pollution into our homes. In the homes of middle-income families with small children, vacuum dust was found to have pesticide concentrations 10-100 times greater than those found in the surface soils surrounding their houses (Lewis et al, 1994). In the agricultural area of Washington State, 47 of 48 farm homes had chlorpyrifos (an organophosphate pesticide) measured in the house dust. The human health risks associated with chlorpyrifos are substantial (including headaches, dizziness, muscle twitching, vomiting, and blurred vision); hence, in 2000, the EPA eliminated the widely used pesticide for nearly all-household purposes. The purpose of this independent study module (ISM) is to introduce the reader to basic concepts and issues associated with environmental health risks to children in homes and communities. In this ISM, some of the key hazardous exposures occurring in the home will be discussed. Indoor air quality, drinking water, lead, mercury, pesticides, radon, and UV radiation have been selected as topics of focus. A resource section provides a brief listing of resources; many of them are Web sites, which, in turn will link the reader to additional resources. The EPA's Web site is particularly helpful. The University of Maryland School of Nursing has a new Web site, http://enviRN.umaryland.edu, with links to all of the Web sites noted in this ISM.