Environmental Illness-Topic Overview

Environmental Illness - Topic Overview

Environmental Illness Guide

• Topic Overview
• Health Tools
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Toxic Chemicals in Our Environment
• Who to Call
• Other Places To Get Help
• Related Information
• References
• Credits

How are environmental illnesses diagnosed? continued...

An exposure history, which is a set of questions about your home, workplace, habits, jobs, lifestyle, and hobbies, can help you find out what is making you sick. It may point to chemicals or other hazards that you've been exposed to recently or in the past.

Keep a journal of your symptoms, and discuss it with your doctor. It may help you find patterns in your symptoms. This can help you and your doctor find out what is causing your illness.

How are they treated?

Early treatment includes stopping or reducing your exposure to what is making you sick. These things might help:

• Improve your air quality by getting rid of the source of pollution. Don't allow smoking in yourhouse. If smokers live in or visit your home, ask them to smokeoutside.
• Increase the amount of fresh air coming into your home. Adjust gas stoves, or replace them with electric ones.Check to make sure that exhaust fans work. Installing carbon monoxide alarms inyour home can also protect you and your family.
• Stop the health effects of mold exposure. Keep a dryenvironment indoors to reduce exposure to mold. If you do find mold, it should be removed. If the moldy area is less than 3 ft (1 m) by 3 ft (1 m), you canprobably remove the mold yourself. But if the moldy area is bigger, a trained professional should remove the mold.

Further treatment will depend on your symptoms and what is causing your illness.