GET THE FACTS ~ Healing Homes Guru

softeners give off many VOCs the EPA considers hazardous air contaminants. And my wife the fireman has been in way too many gas-fired appliance homes where carbon monoxide detectors were blaring solely because an occupant’s home with leaky combustion was under-ventilated. One VOC that justifies being singled out and deserves its own mention because of its prevalence in a modern home and its negative impact on indoor air quality is formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a chemical gas used to manufacture many building materials and products used around the home. As it off-gases, acute exposures can lead to headaches, fatigue, short-term memory loss, etc. Chronic exposures have been shown to lead to Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and shown to be a factor in leukemia development. Common sources of household formaldehyde include plywood, particleboard, MDF boards, caulks and adhesives, carpeting and carpet pads, foam cushions, latex paint, even cosmetics.

According to the American Cancer Society, exposure to formaldehyde has been shown to cause cancer in laboratory test animals. Their primer on the topic may be found here.

Consequently, indoor air quality has as much to do with how a home is designed and the materials used to build and finish it as it does with the furnishings and personal and body care products and household cleaners we bring into our homes. I always like to say that I can build a home that is healthy all day long, but to keep it so requires occupants to live as healthy and chemically-free lifestyle as possible.

SYNTHETIC MATERIALS

Non-organic, synthetic materials and finishes are a large contributor to poor indoor air quality. The petrochemicals used in these materials are everywhere within the home: paints, adhesives, insulation, engineered wood products, flooring, etc. That ‘new home’ (or for that matter as a point of comparison, that ‘new car’) smell may be appealing, but is a sure sign of the release of dozens of VOCs that make our indoor air toxic. Common VOC sources around the home include synthetic carpets and pads, upholstered fabrics treated with stain guards, dry cleaned clothing, and even copy machines and printers. My homes reduce these effects by maximizing the use of natural materials and fully ventilating indoor air. Another nasty by-product of using man-made synthetic materials? Because of their low water absorption properties, synthetic materials create static charges and much more easily condense water vapor. As the next section shows, healthy indoor air depends on moisture control and using natural materials of high hygroscopic capacity. Man-made synthetic materials and finishes are neither.