Healthy Homes 101

Written By Cathy MacArthur, BID, MEDes for OKinHealth

A new wave of health consciousness is hitting us close to home - literally, right in our homes.  While there has always been a contingent of “eco-friendly or sustainable builders, architects and designers, it is now at the consumer level that change is really starting to take place.

There are two reasons for this:
First, there is the continuing momentum created in the media, and political arena
Second, more and more people can attribute their personal well-being to the health of their indoor environments.

On average, in North America, people spend  90% of their lives indoors. Added to this is the trend to energy efficient, tightly sealed building envelopes which draw in a combination of toxic chemicals from building finishing materials and cleaning products, possible soil gases such as radon and biological contaminants such as molds.

New materials in a house such as MDF (medium density fibre board) will contribute greatly for the first year to the toxic load of a building through off-gasing of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s). When MDF gets wet it provides a ready growth medium for mold. Standard carpet or broadlooms also contribute VOC’s and over time will breakdown and the airborne particulates that can cause health problems – particularly with central heating systems. In addition, recent studies show considerable amounts of potentially carcinogenic PBDE’s (flame retardants) in carpet underlayment. The list goes on.

Exposure to contaminants can also have a number of indirect health effects, including suseptibility to disease from other causes, aggravation of existing disease, and sensitization to the same and other environmental agents (CMHC, 1993).
The list below names just some of the illnesses that may be related to poor indoor environment (ibid.):

Allergic rhinitis
Anemia
Asthma
Cancer cardiovascular stress
Coughing
Disgestive problems
Dizziness
Irritated skin
Fatigue
Headaches
Learning impairment

This is not to say that we should not use any standard building and finishing products – just that their application should only be warranted when there is no feasible , and should be done so with knowledge of proper installation. 

Of course, many of us are faced an existing home, which may have a legacy of building materials and installation and construction details contributing to health problem.  In these cases, modifying a house to address health issues can be a complicated task and I always recommend a carefully laid out plan.

Below is a just a brief sample of some of the questions and strategies homeowners should take:

Evaluate your personal situation:

-Do you feel better in other homes or locations
-Do you feel better outside
-Do you feel sick at different times of the day or year
-Do you associate specific symptoms with specific odours

Home history and location audit:

-Is your house near a factory or industrial area?
-Are there pollen bearing plants which are known contaminants?
-Are pesticides used in an around the house
-Does the house have proper ventilation and drainage?
-Has your house been recently renovated, or had new furniture?
 

Assessing your house itself:

– a full assessment can take several hours. It may be a wise investment to enlist the services of a trained professional – particularly if you are very sensitive or ill.
-Check for biological contaminants such as mold. Probable locations are basements and crawlspaces
-Check for chemical contaminants such as radon gases, and sources of formaldehyde (most particle boards) and PBDE’s (flame retardants).

Develop a strategy:

-Which measures you choose will depend on factors such as whether you own or rent, available funding and the extent of your health concerns. In reality, overhauling an entire house at once is almost never practical. In addition, for some newer areas of concern, such as flame retardants, s are not readily available (mattresses and furniture are strictly regulated for flame spread and ignition).

To this end, I advocate the three pronged approach advocated by CMHC:

‘Eliminate, Separate and Ventilate'

In many instances simple measures such as eliminating scented and chemically based products such as fabric softeners and moving to natural, non scented products has helped my clients immensely. Other strategies, such as radon mitigation and corrective ventilation and drainage involve the service of a trained professional such as an architect or engineer.

Whatever is done, it is important that the homeowner engage in ongoing feedback and evaluation. To this end, the individual’s sense of health and well being is often the strongest indicator of success. Often people don’t realize how sick their homes are making them until a factor such as a mold source is eliminated and a chronic condition such as allergic rhinitis disappears.

The impact of our indoor environment on human health is not to be underestimated and is now recognized by both the medical community and current federal government in their Clean Air Act.  Hopefully, there will come a time when homes will be designed to support human health and well being. Unfortunately, at this time, from the supply side, most consumer products, and houses in general are a response to fashion trends and affordability – not to human and environmental health. 

However, suppliers of products will respond to consumer demand when the message is delivered through what we design, specify and purchase. The onus is now on the design industry, and by extension, the clients we serve, to make this message clear.

Written By Cathy MacArthur, BID, MEDes for OKinHealth
Principal, MacArthur Design Inc.
Penticton BC Email
Member of The Canada Green Building Council

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