seattleDIRT

[REPOST from A Fresh Squeeze - Seattle]

Heal Your Home and Breathe Easier
Master Home Environmentalist Program

The air quality has not been up to par in recent weeks in Seattle, which should be a concern to everybody–especially those of us with allergies, asthma or respiratory problems.

But did you know that, on average, we spend 90% of our time indoors and that many breathing problems might be caused by or triggered by the air quality inside our homes and work places? The good news is that your can do something about your indoor air quality and the Master Home Environmentalist (MHE) program is in place to help.

The MHE program operates in two ways. First, it operates a free training program twice a year to teach volunteers how to use the Home Environmental Assessment List (HEAL) to find health hazards around your home and find ways to make it a healthier place to live. Generally these improvements are simple things like dusting more frequently, eliminating the use of hazardous cleaning products and recognizing and eliminating mold and mildew.

Second, the MHE program will match the trained volunteers to people like you who are concerned about their indoor air quality and have them come out and give you a free HEAL.

Aileen Gagney, the Asthma and Environmental Health Program Manager and MHE Master Trainer says, “The MHE program is a community-based, volunteer driven program designed to train volunteers to identify sources of pollutants in homes and assist household residents in reducing exposures. To date, approximately 600 volunteers have been trained, over 1500 homes have been assessed.” Even better, “87% of those we visit report that the HEAL helped them make improvements which led them to feeling healthier in their own homes.”

If you are interested in getting an MHE Volunteer to come to your home for a FREE indoor air quality assessment you can contact the MHE program at (206) 441-5100 or American Lung Association of Washington web site. If you want to volunteer yourself you can attend one of the two training programs that run each year in the spring and fall.