Safety Online Resources

1. The National Center for Health Statistics says Carbon Monoxide is to blame for 3500 accidental deaths and suicides each year in the United States alone. It is the NUMBER 1 cause of all deaths by poisoning.

2. The cause of CO poisoning is often a faulty fuel-burning furnace, oven, water heater, space heater, wood stove, or fireplace. The best way to reduce your risk is to MAINTAIN those appliances.

3. A device to measure the air is an essential backup and you should have at least one CO detector, preferably in a hallway or sleeping area. If the alarm does go off and you’re feeling sick (flu- like symptoms), get immediately out of the house and call the fire department or your fuel company. If the alarm sounds and you don’t feel ill, shut off the possible sources of CO and ventilate the house as quickly as possible. Still call a qualified technician or your fire department for further advice as to how to handle your respective situation.

4. Contact your EPA REGIONAL office for more information.

5. ASBESTOS DISEASE is usually caused by fibers being disturbed and then being released into the air

6. If your house dates from before the late 1970s, it is very possible that it was built with some kind of asbestos. After that period, the Federal Government began its ban.

7. The majority of homeowners risk large-scale exposure only when asbestos is disturbed during repairs and there is no certainty that contractors know how to safely handle asbestos

8. DETERMINE the training and background of those you choose to do your repair work. IF you still have doubt or concern, hire a trained asbestos abatement contractor to first do the removal.

9. MOST INSURANCE companies will not reimburse for asbestos removal. In fact, almost all homeowner policies exclude asbestos related removal or repairs.

10. Contact your EPA REGIONAL office for more information.

11. With the exception of smoking, it is widely believed in the medical community, that RADON causes more lung cancer than anything else in the United States. In fact, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that household exposure to radon causes 5,000 to 20,000 lung cancer deaths per year. The good news is that radon can easily be detected and reduced.

12. There are both short-term and long-term measuring detectors available. The long-term devices that measures radon levels over months are the most reliable.