How do you know when it’s time to call Isles to get a healthy homes assessment? For many folks, it’s when they feel the cold air coming in, notice a new drip, their furnace stops working or they smell something weird in their home. Each of those instances is a time to get in touch with us, but the most important and serious reason is invisible and has no smell. In fact, you may think you're taking great care of your home without any idea there's a hidden problem that can cause asthma, cognitive delays, ADHD, disruptive behavior, and even lower your child’s IQ – lead. 

When I met with Cherie and Barbora in our Healthy Homes service area, I asked them about why they were so impassioned about their work. Cherie told me a story that I just can’t shake. She went to do a healthy homes assessment at a house where the homeowners proudly showed her how they’d remodeled to enclose their front porch so that their young children had a nice place to play. They’d created a lovely, sunny spot filled with their children’s toys, and even capped off with a bowl of fruit on the table. As delightful as it looked, Cherie had been in enough homes that she was worried about what she saw. 

She asked the parents how often they opened the windows and they said that they liked to open them whenever the weather was nice enough so that the children could enjoy the fresh air. Which, normally, would be a great answer, especially in Trenton where there just aren’t enough safe and inviting outdoor places to play. However, when she heard that, Cherie got chills...