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Reply: The hazards you cite don't even rank in my top 10. The reason you hear so much about environmental threats such as lead, asbestos, radon, etc., is because the news media gets bombarded with scary press releases from environmental groups that have made those issues their pet causes. Most of the dangers they point to are remote (such as radon) or cumulative (lead, asbestos) - meaning you would have to be exposed for a long time to the substances before any detectable harm might be done.

What doesn't make the news very much are tens of thousands of common household accidents that occur each year causing death and injury. Most of these can be prevented through simple and inexpensive precautions. Examples:

Fire Prevention - Home fires are one of the greatest threats to human life and property. Common sense and smoke detectors would prevent most of the tragedies, yet many homeowners neglect even those simple safeguards.

The most effective way to protect one's home against fire is by installing fire sprinklers. Most building codes require them for commercial and industrial buildings but only a few areas of the country specify them in homes. Sprinklering a newly built home generally costs between $1.50 - $2.00 per square foot, which is less than most carpeting costs. Some insurance companies grant large premium reductions for homes with sprinklers. It is far more costly to retrofit eofit existing homes with sprinklers, so not many people do it. For new homes, however, they are well worth considering.

Bathroom Accidents - Studies show that more accidents occur in the bathroom than anywhere else in the home. Slips and falls account for most fatalities and serious injuries, followed by scaldings. The elderly and children are especially vulnerable.

Some 5,000 children a year get scalded badly enough to be hospitalized. Usually this occurs when they are left unattended in a tub. Don't allow very young children to run their own bath water.

One way to guard against scalding is to turn down the thermostat on your water heater. Older water heaters used to get shipped from the factory at a temperature setting of 140 degrees F. With 140-degree water, it takes just 8 seconds to get a third degree burn. With 120-degree water, it takes 10 minutes. If you have an older unit, consider dialing it down. The temperature control dial usually is located near the base of the unit.

Shower valves also are available with automatic temperature and pressure balancing capabilities for protection against scalding. Sudden water temperature fluctuations occur in many homes when a person in another part of the house turns on a tap or water-using appliance while someone else is in the shower. Balancing valves automatically compensate for temperature and pressure imbalances. They not oey not only protect against scalding, but also prevent many of the slips and falls that occur when people get startled by sudden changes in water temperature.

Modern bathroom products come with various safety features that minimize safety hazards. These include slip-resistant tubs and showers, cushioned bathtubs, low-voltage lighting, convenient grab bars, childproof electrical outlets and rounded edges on vanities and tub-surrounds. Next time you replace bathroom products or remodel be sure to consider products with these features.

Also, be sure to keep poisons and medicines out of the reach of children, preferably in a locked cabinet. And keep razor blades out of the wastebasket.

Explosions & Asphyxiation - Water heaters, furnaces and other gas appliances are built with numerous safety features that are almost foolproof against mechanical failures. Unfortunately, nobody has figured out a way to make things foolproof against foolish people.

Gas explosions can do to a home what our bombs did to Iraqi tanks and buildings during Desert Storm. Whenever gas or oil connections are involved, be sure to have only competent, licensed professionals do the work. Also take care not to store any volatile chemicals in the vicinity of water heaters or other appliances that may have pilot lights. It takes only a spark or flame to ignite an explosion capable of leveling your home and maybe those o those of several neighbors.

A couple of years ago there was a story out of Chicago about a family of 10 who died by carbon monoxide poisoning due to faulty repairs on a furnace. CO gas is colorless, odorless and therefore hard to detect until it's too late. When it comes to connecting gas lines and flues, don't mess with amateurs.

Garage Doors - Not many people give it a second thought, but the Consumer Product Safety Commission has documented 50 deaths of children between 1982 and 1992 from accidents caused by automatic garage doors.

Consequently, beginning in January 1994 a federal law went into effect mandating that all new garage door openers must be equipped with standard fail-safe sensing equipment. However, it does not impact existing garage doors, especially those built before 1982 when voluntary standards led to an automatic-reverse feature in most products.

If your garage has one of the older products, be careful. Better yet, consider spending a few hundred dollars to install a modern door opener.

Spreading Lead, Asbestos, Etc. - Household health threats from these substances probably are exaggerated. The problem is attempts to remove them often end up increasing rather than decreasing the hazard.

Recent attention has focused on the presence of lead in drinking water. More worrisome is the remnant lead paint in older homes. Lead paint was b paint was banned 25 years ago but many older homes still are covered with it. There have been cases where renovation projects have released enough lead-laden dust to cause lead poisoning. Health authorities in the Chicago area reported more than 20,000 cases of elevated lead levels in children during the first eight months of 1993. They suspect lead dust to be the main culprit.

Similarly, an EPA study last year in New York found that most school buildings measured higher levels of asbestos after removal projects than before.

Other harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde may get released from particleboard and other building materials during renovation. People with acute respiratory sensitivities are advised to use solid wood products for home construction projects.

Our senses tend not to deceive us. The dangers you can see and sense around the home are more worthy of attention than those that are invisible, remote and long-tlong-term.