A good friend of mine has owned his home for over a decade now.
A few years ago, he had a son, and it wasn’t soon after that when he found out he had dangerous levels of radon in his basement.
He quickly moved to remedy the problem.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, radon exposure can be a cause of lung cancer.
Even if he was to keep his son out of the basement (a tall order for a three-year-old), being down there himself would expose him to risk that could then put his son’s father in jeopardy. He quickly invested in fan systems that remove radon from his basement.
Radon is just one example of home hazards that can lead to long-term harms for families. Peeling paint in homes built in the 1970s and earlier can lead to lead poisoning for children. Secondhand smoke can lead to asthma, respiratory problems, sudden infant death syndrome, lung cancer, and accidental fires.
Lack of precautions like smoke alarms can lead to fire injuries and deaths. Moistures and molds can cause asthma and respiratory problems. Pesticide use can be the cause of acute poisonings and even chronic conditions such as cancer, low birth weights, and premature births.
Some of these problems can be solved with better information. My friend just needed to know this was a problem and he was ready to invest in remediation. He is surely not the only person in the state of Ohio who just needed a little bit of information to take action.
A new bipartisan bill introduced in the Ohio House last week aims to provide that information.
The “Healthy Homes Program Act” would instruct the state health director to create an information and awareness program around mold, lead, radon, and carbon monoxide to help members of the public understand the threat of these hazards and proper remediation of them.
The bill as it stands is just a mandate without a line item.
This means the health director would have to find ways to administer this program within his current budget.
The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission received a $2 million grant to support a Healthy Homes program in Central Ohio over the three years. The public information on the program emphasizes public information, home inspections, and assessments.
A well-financed state program would probably have to be funded more than this regional program to be effective at its goal.
Public information can only take you so far, however.
A special consideration here is children.
While we often assume parents will be perfect stewards of their children’ s health, we often find that parents underinvest in their children’s future, especially when they are dealing with tight budget constraints at home.
Subsidies for remediation targeted at low-income households with children would be a common-sense intervention for dealing with this mismatch between parental resources and children’s futures.
A well-funded information program with resources for needy households with children would help fight poverty and support economic growth in Ohio’s future.
Giving households tools to fight hazards in the homes can support health, educational outcomes, economic mobility, and equity for households in Ohio.
This commentary first appeared in the Ohio Capital Journal.