Why focus on children?

Of course, a healthy home is important for adults, too. Making your home safe and healthy for children protects everyone. And, there are special reasons to think about children:

• Children's bodies are still growing so their organs are more likely to be harmed. If children get sick, getting well may be harder. Their immune systems, which fight illness, are still developing.
• For their size, children eat more food, drink more water and breathe more air than adults. When they get lead in their bodies or breathe in harmful gases, they get a bigger dose than adults would.
• Children play and crawl on the ground. This means they are closer to things that might cause health problems, like dust and some chemicals. And babies and young children put most everything in their mouths--things that might have chemicals or lead dust on them.

Children depend on adults to make their homes safe!

This tool helps you ask the right questions about your home and your daily activities. By answering these questions, you can find out if your home is healthy, or if you need to do things differently. You may begin at any of the sections on the previous page. It's easy, but it is up to you--Help Yourself to a Healthy Home!