Home Environments and their Relationship to Safety

Home is the focus of family life and the place where most people spend the majority of their time. [Page 616]There, they face a broad range of hazards such as those that contribute to injury (e.g., insufficient lighting, poisoning, scalding water temperatures) and asthma (e.g., dust allergens, molds, and pests), and those which affect the quality of the indoor air such as toxic materials (e.g., lead, asbestos, pesticides, and household products) and dangerous gases (e.g., carbon monoxide and radon). These housing issues threaten the health and safety of family members.