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SICK & WELL
HEALTH CARE
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PROMOTING
HEALTHY LIVING
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PREVENTING
DISEASE
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ABOUT US
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Clean Air
Clean air is important both in and out of doors but you have more control over the air inside your home, workplace or
where you choose to eat and play. Wilkes County Health Department works to support smoke-free restaurants and
people with asthma and provides education and resources for questions about mold, radon and carbon monoxide.
Smoke Free Restaurants
Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) or secondhand smoke is one of the most preventable causes of cancer, coronary
heart disease and asthma. The single, easiest, and most cost effective safety measures are stronger environmental
tobacco smoke policies which protect us from any exposure to ETS.
Wilkes County Health Department is also working with local restaurants to achieve smoke-free dining. Dining in a
smoke-free atmosphere is essential to protecting the health of patrons and employees. Dining in a smoke-free
restaurant is safer for you and your children because you and your family will not be exposed to secondhand smoke.
Employees working in a smoke-free environment will be much less likely to die of lung cancer as those who work in
an eating establishment that allows smoking.
Sixty four percent of North Carolinians prefer smoke-free restaurants. In Wilkes County we have many
restaurants that are smoke-free
Periodically, the Wilkes County Health Department, in conjunction with North Carolinian’s Start With Your Heart
program and local merchants, honor smoke-free establishments by presenting them with a “Clean Air” award and
promoting the restaurant using local media. In addition, the health department is planning to publicize smoke-free
establishments by placing advertisements in local newspapers listing all restaurants that do not allow smoking in
their facility. For more information, please call (336) 651-7450.
Mold
Molds are fungi that grow indoors or outdoors. They grow in warm and damp conditions, such as in compost piles or
wooded areas outside or in basements or showers inside. Molds reproduce by making spores, kind of like seeds, that
do not begin to grow until conditions are warm and moist. The spores can exist in all conditions though.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend routine sampling for molds. The danger of
mold has to do more with the person than the type of mold. Some people sensitive to molds will have wheezing, stuffy
noses, or eye and skin irritation when mold is in the house. People who are more sensitive, such as those with serious
allergies or chronic lung conditions, can have severe reactions. If you are susceptible to mold and mold is seen or smelled,
there is a potential health risk; therefore, no matter what type of mold it is, remove it.
Mold and its spores can be cleaned off of hard surfaces with soap and water or a weak bleach solution (1 cup bleach in 1
gallon of water). After cleaning where mold has been, or to stop it from becoming a problem in your home follow these
important guidelines:
- Keep humidity levels between 40-60% by using an air conditioner or dehumidifier during humid months.
- Put exhaust fans in showers and cooking areas.
- Make sure all leaks are fixed and seal any cracks in wet basements.
- Add mold inhibitors to paints before painting.
- Do not carpet bathrooms or basements.
Radon
Radon is a naturally occurring, invisible, odorless gas. Radon is a radioactive decay product of radium which is a radioactive
decay product of uranium. Both uranium and radium are common elements found in soil, rock and water.
Radon is released harmlessly into the outdoor air, but when it becomes trapped in buildings it can be harmful, especially at
high levels. Radon comes into houses through foundation cracks or other floor openings such as drains, ductwork or pipes.
Radon can also become trapped in underground water sources such as wells and enters the home through showering, washing
clothes or other household water use but this is usually a much smaller risk.
The US Surgeon General has determined that radon gas is a substantial risk. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer
in the US (behind smoking which causes nearly 90% of all lung cancers). Radon can cause cancer when it is inhaled into
the lungs. In the lungs, radon decays which releases alpha particles that can damage DNA. The damaged DNA can lead
to lung cancer.
Radon is measured in picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L). The US Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention recommend that people in homes with 4pCi/L or higher in household air or 300 pCi/L in water make
changes to reduce the amount of radon in their homes. (It takes much higher levels of radon in water for significant health risks.)
The most commonly recommended steps people take to reduce radon in their homes is to caulk cracks along basement
foundations, seal leaks around pipes or installing a pipe and fan system to vent radon out from under the house. If water is the
problem, water aeration or carbon filters may help.
You can get information and order test kits from the National Safety Council’s Radon Hotline (1-800-SOS-RADON).
Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide is another invisible, odorless gas that is made whenever fuel, such as wood, gasoline, coal, natural gas,
kerosene, etc. is burned. There may be other smells coming from the burning fuel source, but carbon monoxide is odorless.
Carbon monoxide can get into your home if you leave your car, truck or other vehicle running; if your home has a poorly vented
or malfunctioning hot water heater, furnace, space heater, fireplace or kitchen cooking stove; or if you burn charcoal, alcohol,
gas or cigars, cigarettes or pipes in an enclosed tent, camper or small room.
Carbon monoxide stops your body from being able to use oxygen. It creates a poison in your blood and can harm your central
nervous system and even your heart. Carbon mo noxide poisoning can look like you’re coming down with the flu or food
poisoning. Symptoms include: headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, rapid heartbeat, seizures, cardiac arrest, loss of
hearing, blurry vision, vomiting, disorientation, loss of consciousness, coma, respiratory failure and even death. Although
everyone can be poisoned by carbon monoxide, some people with existing health problems, such as heart and lung disease
and the elderly, are especially vulnerable. Infants, children and pregnant women are also at high risk.
To protect yourself and your family there are some steps you can take:
- Use carbon monoxide home alarms to let you know when carbon monoxide levels are high.
- Have your furnace and fireplace cleaned and inspected each year before it gets cold.
- If you are using non-electrical space heaters, do so only in open, well-ventilated areas.
- Don’t start or leave running cars, trucks or other vehicles in an enclosed area.
- If you are having symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning and your detector alarm goes off, call 911.
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If you are not having symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning and your detector alarm goes off, check the detector.
Reset it with the reset button (if there is one). Turn off any appliances or anything burning fuel and get fresh air into the
building. Have your heating system or appliances repaired if necessary.
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If you are having symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning and you do not have a detector, leave the area (to get
fresh air) and call 911.
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