A Brief History of Radon

Radon gas is dangerous, especially in mines. Way back in 1530, centuries before we even knew radioactivity was a thing, German scholars were writing about a mysterious wasting disease (possibly lung cancer) afflicting miners.

In 1900, radon was the fifth radioactive element identified. It's parent element, radium, had been discovered two years before. Since radium had a faint white glow, it began to be used for watch faces. About 4,000 women--known as the Radium Girls--were hired to carefully paint a mix of glue, water, and radium powder onto the watch dials. These women each painted about 250 watches a day, licking the radioactive brushes to keep their tips sharp and painting their nails or faces for a bit of fun.

Two Assessments, One Happy Home

The goal of the Green and Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) is for houses to receive both energy efficiency and health and safety improvements. In fact, we've already had to exclude nine homes because they didn't need weatherization!

Green and Healthy Homes Initiative: Local Statistics

As part of the Green and Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI), NHS of South Buffalo will contribute our expertise in weatherization and home rehab financing to make Buffalo homes safer for our families. It's sorely needed, and that's a fact.

Here are some more facts about the state of our local homes.

GHHI and Weatherization

There’s a new group in town—the Green and Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI). No, it’s not yet another well-intentioned citizen starting a non-profit to change the world. In fact, GHHI is almost the opposite.

Simply put, the goal of GHHI is to ensure that “all families and children live in homes that are healthy, safe, energy-efficient and sustainable.” That may seem like a lot of work, and it is. Take it from us; tackling even one of those issues is hard enough!

7 Strategies for a Healthy Home

Is your home a healthy home? Would you know if it wasn't?

Each home, and family, is different and you'll notice as you read that some of these fit you better than others. There isn’t enough room in one article to describe all the ways to find and fix problem.  Future posts will delve more deeply into each “strategy” with tips for different budgets and schedules. So when you start thinking, "Of course I want to keep my house pest-free! Telling me pests are no good doesn't help me safely get rid of them!" know that such advice is on its way.