Home and garden safety

Information on staying safe at home and in the garden.

Services and information

Barbecue safety

Many Canadians love to barbecue all year-round, but especially when the weather starts to get warm. Find out how to use your barbecue safely.

Backyard safety

Many Canadians spend a lot of their time working and relaxing in their backyards during the warmer months. Find out how to enjoy your backyard safely.

Environment health for seniors at home

Find out how to create a home environment that is safe and healthy for you and your visitors.

Healthy home guide

Every day, we are exposed to chemicals and pollutants in the air, water, soil, food and products we use in our home. Here are some tips on how to help protect yourself and those around you.

Tips to protect your family from chemicals and pollutants

Here are some simple steps you can take to help protect yourself and your family.

Pollutants from furniture and building materials

Household products like furniture, mattresses, cabinets, building materials, wallpaper, cleaning products and glues can emit gases into your indoor air.

Reduce your exposure to lead

Lead is a highly toxic metal that is found naturally in the earth's crust. Lead was once used in products like paint and gas, but the Government of Canada now restricts its use in many products.

Use arts and crafts materials safely

Using arts and crafts materials can be fun, but some may pose health risks.

Use paint strippers safely

When it comes to removing old paint, paint strippers are fast acting, versatile and easy to use. But paint strippers contain chemicals that can harm your health if not used properly.

Household chemical and product safety

You probably use many chemical products in and around your home. Chemicals can be dangerous and cause burns, fires, poisonings and explosions.

Electric and magnetic fields from power lines and electrical appliances

Every time you use electricity and electrical appliances, you are exposed to electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) at extremely low frequencies (ELFs). The term "extremely low" is described as any frequency below 300 hertz.

Swimming pool and spa cleaning

People who use your swimming pool or spa can get sick if you don't clean the water properly. Possible illnesses include ear infections, stomach infections, and skin rashes.

Environment Health for First Nations and Inuit

At home or out on the land, there are simple steps you can take to keep yourself and your family healthy.

Measuring your exposure to chemicals

Chemicals are everywhere: in air, soil, water, products, and food. Every day, Canadians are exposed to a number of chemicals that can enter the body through eating, breathing, or skin contact.

Dealing with lawn problems

Learn to manage pest problems by following integrated pest management (IPM) principles. IPM emphasizes prevention, and finding the most effective, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective way to manage a pest problem.

How to have a healthy lawn

Like many Canadians, you probably take pride in having an attractive lawn. Find out how to care for your lawn as easily as possible, while reducing the need for pesticides.

Maintaining a lawn

Keep your lawn healthy using good maintenance practices. Grow a healthy lawn by properly fertilizing, liming, aerating, mowing, topdressing, overseeding, and watering.

Starting a lawn

If you're like most people, you probably want to have a healthy-looking lawn. Besides being a great place to spend time, lawns do many things: they filter pollution, buffer temperatures, absorb water, and prevent soil from washing away.

Understanding your lawn's lifecycle

To have a healthy lawn, it helps to understand the nature of the different elements in your lawn, and how these elements work together.

Poison ivy

Poison ivy is a straggling or climbing woody vine that's well known for its ability to produce an oily resin called urushiol, which is a skin irritant that causes an itching rash for most people.

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