Is Your Apartment Safe?
A Tenant's Guide to Hidden Health Risks at Home

When you sign a lease, you expect a safe, comfortable space to call home. But what if your new apartment is hiding serious hazards to your health that you can't see? Too often, dangers go unnoticed until they start affecting your health.

Here's what renters should watch out for, and what you can do to protect yourself and your home.

Quality of Indoor Air

Most people think of air pollution as a problem that's limited to the outdoors. However, the air inside can be just as bad, if not worse. The guilty culprits include poor ventilation, older buildings, and everyday household products that end up trapping pollutants inside your home.

Common Air Pollutants Found Indoors

Volatile Organic Compounds

Also known as VOCs, these chemicals are found in certain paints, furniture, and household cleaning products. They can cause dizziness, headaches, and ongoing respiratory problems.

Carbon Monoxide

There are few things more stealthy (and fatal) than a colorless, odorless gas. Heaters and stoves that malfunction are usually the source. Exposure leads to loss of consciousness and could be life-threatening.

Radon

This radioactive gas seeps into your home from contaminated soil. Basements and lower floor levels are most at risk. There's an increased risk of lung cancer the longer you're exposed.

What You Can Do

• Test for radon using a kit.
• Use an air purifier. One with a HEPA filter is best.
• Open windows whenever possible to improve ventilation and airflow.
• Avoid products containing VOCs, like certain detergents and air fresheners.

Mold

Mold is the most common—and most commonly overlooked—apartment hazard. It thrives in humidity, so it loves areas like your bathroom and kitchen.

What's more, mold can sometimes grow for months without being noticed. This means months of breathing in toxins that can cause severe health complications.

Signs of a Mold Problem

• A musty or damp smell about a room. This is a smell that sticks around no matter how much you clean, ventilate, or burn scented candles.
• Dark spots on walls and ceilings.
• Your allergies suddenly get worse, or you develop a chronic cough that can't be explained by anything else.

What You Can Do

• Report leaks, water damage, and moisture build-up like condensation issues to your landlord.
• Use a dehumidifier to reduce humidity levels. Aim for anything below 50%.
• If you experience symptoms related to mold but can't find any, contact a professional for a mold inspection.

Water Quality

Tap water may look and taste fine, but can easily become contaminated by old pipes, industrial pollution, or treatment issues from the municipality.

Common Water Pollutants Include:

• Lead from outdated plumbing
• Parasites from untreated water
• PFAS from polluted water sources

The AFFF lawsuit, in particular, has shone a spotlight on the far-reaching consequences of PFAS contamination.

Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) is used by firefighters to extinguish fires that involve combustible liquids. This specific firefighting foam contains PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which has been linked to severe health complications that include thyroid disease and bladder cancer.

According to TorHoerman Law, synthetic PFAS chemicals don't break down but stay in the bloodstream and environment indefinitely. This means water sources that receive AFFF run-off from airports and military bases are likely contaminated.

Health-related litigation isn't limited to environmental contamination cases. Patients who have suffered harm from defective medical devices face similar legal pathways to accountability. Among the most active areas of current medical device litigation is the spinal cord stimulator lead migration lawsuit, which involves patients who experienced device lead displacement-causing renewed pain, neurological complications, or additional surgeries. For anyone managing a chronic health condition with an implanted device, awareness of these legal developments is as important as knowing the environmental hazards in your home.

The U.S. Geological Survey found, in a 2023 study, that 45% of the country's tap water contains PFAS. While some areas have taken steps to filter out these harmful chemicals, others still have outdated systems that allow PFAS to enter drinking water.

What You Can Do

• Check your city's water quality report online.
• Use a water filter certified to remove contaminants like lead and PFAS.
• Report cloudy or murky water to your landlord.
• If you live in an apartment building built in or before 1980, do a thorough check for contaminants by using a water testing kit.

Know Your Rights as a Tenant

Landlords are under obligation to provide housing that is free of health and safety hazards. If you suspect you might be exposed to an environmental hazard in your apartment:

1. Document everything with photos and test results if applicable.
2. Notify your landlord and ensure all communication is in writing.
3. Keep a record of any written complaints you make, along with requested repairs.
4. Many states have laws protecting tenants, one of which gives them the right to withhold rent until the hazards are fixed.
5. If your landlord continues to ignore the issue, your local housing authority can help with a resolution.