Healthy Homes Month

Want More Information?   Read "Help Yourself to a Healthy Home" developed through an Interagency Agreement with USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service. This booklet provides information to make a healthy home (PDF). Read "Contribuyo a Tener un Hogar Sano" En Español!   Download the "Lead Paint Safety Field Guide" a user-friendly booklet to assist you in assessing the dangers of lead-based paint in your home (PDF). ("La seguridad con la pintura de plomo" is available En Español!) Or call 1-800-424-LEAD for a paper version.   Is your home a Healthy Home? Take a look at the Healthy Homes Web Tool developed by the University of Wisconsin. The Tool takes users through a series of questions about their daily living habits. It then gives a personalized “action checklist” of easy, low-cost steps for protecting children from hazards such as lead poisoning and improper pesticide use.   Are you remodeling your home? Or, do you live in a home built before 1978? If so, you should read the "Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home" booklet (PDF). Also available En Español!   Read our Healthy Homes tips for safety around the home.

SECRETARY MARTINEZ ANNOUNCES $147 MILLION TO PROTECT CHILDREN AND FAMILIES FROM DANGEROUS LEAD AND OTHER HOME HEALTH AND SAFETY HAZARDS

Record funding kicks off October as National Healthy Homes Month

The HUD Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control celebrates Healthy Homes Month by providing consumers with valuable information to assist you in your efforts to create a healthy home. Visit the Healthy Homes Program or Lead Hazard Control Program for more information.

Thousands of children and families in 27 states and the District of Columbia will live in healthier homes due to more than $147 million in grants announced by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez. Martinez made the record funding announcement as part of officially launching National Healthy Homes Month during October. "Whether it's eliminating lead hazards in housing or studying new ways to make our homes healthier, the funds we announce today are all designed to protect our most precious resource - our children," said Martinez. "Today we continue HUD's investment in making our homes a healthier and safer place for parents to raise their kids."

	Did You Know?
An estimated 25% of American homes contain significant lead-based paint hazards. Read the journal article. (PDF) Many Americans with asthma are allergic to "roach dust"—roach body parts and roach droppings? Visit the Environmental Health Watch's "Cockroach Control Guide" website.

Additional Resources

Visit HUD's Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control web site.   Visit the Children's Health Environmental Coalition "Health e House" interactive resource for information on environmental health risks children face in the home.   Want to know how to build a better home? Let the Engineered Wood Association show you how.   Visit the National Center for Healthy Housing web site   Need assistance in removing lead-based paint hazards from your home?   Know your legal right to be notified of the presence of lead-based paint hazards in your home under the Lead-Safe Housing Rule and the Lead Disclosure Rule.   Visit HUD's Healthy Homes Initiative Website for additional healthy homes resources and program links.   Overview of Asthma and the Home Environment (Survey of the Technical Literature)   Overview of Preventable Household Injuries (Survey of the Technical Literature)