Government-operated and nonprofit Web sites that can help you learn
more about healthy homes and home environmental hazards.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The EPA has a high-quality consumer-friendly Web site that's packed
with information about energy-efficient homes, radon, household waste
management, recycling, lead-based paint, indoor air quality, safe
drinking water, backyard pesticides, asbestos and other topics.
More than a dozen publications about radon alone are available,
including "Home Buyer's and Home Seller's Guide to Radon,"
"A Radon Guide for Tenants" and "Building a New Home? Have You
Considered Radon?"
Health House
The American Lung Association of Minnesota developed the Health House
Web site to raise the standards for indoor air quality and energy
efficiency in newly built homes. Features include information about
home pollutants and tips on how to build a healthy house.
National Safety Council
The National Safety Council educates the public about a wide variety
of safety-related issues in the home, workplace and community. The
council's Web site has information about indoor air quality, lead
poisoning and hazardous chemicals. There also are order forms to
purchase a short-duration or long-duration home radon test kit from
an EPA-approved manufacturer.
U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development
HUD's extensive Web site is packed with consumer information about
housing and home-buying. In particular, "Bookshelf10" in HUD's
"Reading Room" is the place to find information about lead-based
paint regulations and links to related resources. HUD's Office of
Lead Hazard Control, www.hud.gov/lea/leahome.html, is also a useful
resource.
American Homeowners Association
A good resource for general homeowner information about a wide
variety of subjects is the American Homeowners Association's Web
site, which has lengthy lists of books, magazines, videos,
articles and Web resources about home safety. Rather than providing
in-depth technical data, these resources focus on do-it-yourself
tips and practical ideas.