The Four Corners Office for Resource Efficiency (4CORE) and the Colorado State Extension Office of La Plata County have partnered to increase community awareness of public health issues related to residential indoor air pollution and radon in 2014 and will be celebrating the successful completion of these programs on August 19 at the La Plata County Fairgrounds. Working together, the organizations have reached over 400 La Plata County residents and provided 24 free community workshops.
4CORE received an Environmental Justice Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to fund educational workshops on Healthy Homes across La Plata County. CSU Extension received a Radon Grant from the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment to provide radon education and test kits.
Workshop participants have improved the health of their homes through the free carbon monoxide detectors, radon test kits, Healthy Homes Pledges, resources and information.
“Our neighbors, who have a young baby, almost got carbon monoxide poisoning from a dryer venting problem,” reported one participant. “I loaned them the carbon monoxide detector that we received from the workshop and when they were able to see their dangerously high CO level they moved out of the house since the landlord wouldn’t fix the problem.”
“Radon, a radioactive naturally occurring gas, which is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking, exists at high levels in La Plata County,” says Wendy Rice with CSU Extension. “No one knows how safe their home is until they do the test.”
“It has been a wonderful experience presenting Healthy Homes information to my Bayfield, Ignacio and Durango neighbors and seeing folks make the connection between indoor air pollutants and health effects in the home,” said Sandhya Tillotson, Healthy Homes Program Coordinator at 4CORE. “I’ve shared a personal story of my younger brother getting asthma from mold growing inside the walls of our childhood home, and people responded with stories of their own. The health effects of so many indoor air pollutants like carbon monoxide, dust mites, mold and household chemicals can be resolved fairly easily if you know what to do.”
The Healthy Homes program funded by the EPA concludes in August 2014. The radon program funded by CDPHE concludes in September 2014.
The community is invited to attend the Community Celebration of Healthy Homes & Radon Awareness in La Plata County on Tuesday, August 19 from 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, La Plata Room. Lunch will be provided. This public event will showcase successes of the Healthy Homes and Radon programs and provide ongoing community resources, and discuss next steps with local leaders and EPA staff. Please RSVP at www.fourcore.org.
For more information, contact Sandhya Tillotson, 4CORE Healthy Homes Program by emailing sandhya@fourcore.org or calling 970-259-1916 ext. 115.