Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.


This week on Health Watch, we're talking about how the indoor environment can affect your health. Previously, we mentioned that day care centers can be a major source of allergens for kids. Fortunately, there are steps that can be taken both at home and at day care centers that make the environment healthier for kids.

Dr. Rebecca Gruchalla, chief allergist at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, offers these tips: Children should wash their hands and faces after playing outdoors to get rid of pollen they carry in with them from the outside. Hepa air filters in a room help reduce airborne allergens. If itchy eyes are a problem, use saline solutions to rinse allergens from the eyes.

Next: Something that you do to improve indoor air may actually cause harm.

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^{February 2006}

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