Cornell Cooperative Extension

Livingston County
peeling paint on the side of a house
Image by Sandy Repp

Lead can be found in paint, in soil around our homes and other places.

Healthy Homes

Most of us spend much of our time indoors. The air that we breathe in our homes, in schools, and in offices can put us at risk for health problems. Some pollutants can be chemicals, gases, and living organisms like mold and pests.

Asbestos sheets

Asbestos

Asbestos is a common yet toxic material. Learn how to identify it and protect your home.

Read more
Fiestaware mini-disk pitchers; lead-glazed pottery

Lead

Lead is highly toxic and dangerous. Learn how it can affect you and what you can do.

Read more
New Orleans resident searches for salvageable items in her home following Hurricane Katrina. Many homes were like this one with mold damage to the ceiling. mold

Mold

Mold can cause great damage to your home. Click here to learn more about this organism and how to control it.

Read more
Radioactivity sign against a blue sky, for use on Radon education events

Radon

Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Do you know what radon is? Where it is? How to test for it? Learn about it here and how to get a free radon home test kit.

Read more

Last updated July 26, 2019

Healthy Homes

Care for Your Air

Cover of EPA publication, "Care for Your Air: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality" online at http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pdfs/careforyourair.pdf

Several sources of air pollution are in homes, schools, and offices. Some pollutants cause health problems such as sore eyes, burning in the nose and throat, headaches, or fatigue. Other pollutants cause or worsen allergies, respiratory illnesses (such as asthma), heart disease, cancer, and other serious long-term conditions. Sometimes individual pollutants at high concentrations, such as carbon monoxide, cause death. Learn more about factors that influence indoor air quality in the EPA publication, "Care for Your Air: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality".

Events

See more