FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Information:
Ruth Proehl, Marketing Liaison - 789-8108
Public Health, Delta & Menominee Counties

2007 – Michigan’s Year of Public Health
Public Health, Delta & Menominee Counties Kicks off
Safe Homes - Safe Families Month in January

Escanaba, Michigan, January 11, 2007 - When you list your New Year’s resolutions, adding a home safety inventory of quick, easy and inexpensive tests could help you prevent silent killers like radon and lead from harming you and your family members.  
“Conducting some simple tests at home and taking simple steps to address any problems you may find can prevent cancer and other serious health problems”, said Dianne Mathews, Environmental Health Director.
Mathews recommends a home inventory that includes:

• Annual water testing, especially if you use a private well for drinking water.  City water systems are continually monitored for water safety but it is up to homeowners to monitor their private wells for pollutants like bacteria and nitrates. A bacterial analysis can detect bacteria, including E. coli, an indicator of potential contamination with other serious pathogens such as hepatitis and salmonella. Depending on where you live, testing for pesticides or other factors may also be recommended. Click here for more info.

• One-time radon testing of the air near your home’s foundation. There are no obvious signs of radon, a colorless and odorless gas.  It moves through small spaces in soils and rock and can enter buildings through openings in foundation floors or walls.  Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, according to the American Lung Association.  Click here for more info.

• Lead testing paint from your home, if it was built before 1978, when many house paints included lead. Lead poisoning is usually caused by months or years of exposure to small amounts of lead in the home, work, or day care environment.  Lead poisoning does not always produce symptoms, but it can be easily detected by a simple finger-stick blood test. Click here for more info.

Children, older adults, and individuals with a chronic illness are particularly susceptible to environmental hazards, said Mathews.  “But they are easy to identify and relatively easy to address.  Health Department staff can provide consultation for people who find an environmental health problem in their home - we’re always working to protect the public against threats to their health.”  Test kits and information about water, radon, and lead are available in the Environmental Health offices of Public Health in both Escanaba and Menominee.
 
Public Health, Delta & Menominee Counties’ mission is to enhance the quality of life for the community by preventing disease, encouraging healthy lifestyles, and protecting the environment.  For additional information, contact Public Health’s Environmental office in Escanaba at 786-9692 or the Menominee office at 863-4451.  You may also visit www.phdm.org to view fact sheets regarding the above topics.
Additional information about the “Public Health – For Michigan, For You” slogan and “2007: The Year of Public Health” can be found at www.malph.org.