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The concept of healthy, safe, or non-toxic housing, which has long been a requirement for people with health conditions such as severe allergies or multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), is beginning to get some serious recognition in mainstream America.
In part this situation has been brought on by a national awareness about increasing incidence of low-level chronic health and auto-immune conditions, such as asthma, autism, lupus, and attention deficit problems, especially in children but also throughout the general population. Early research on this trend, which is showing that long-term exposure to low levels of materials that were previously thought safe can indeed have a cumulative impact on human health, is making more and more people realize that toxic substances in the home are a problem for everyone to some degree.
This growing realization, aided in part by the involuntary role as "canaries in the mine" that people with MCS play, is helping to move the issue of healthy housing onto the national public health stage.
Along with health concerns, homebuilders are increasingly addressing concerns about environmental impact and energy conservation, and are developing a body of knowledge about what is feasible. The "green building" name is often used for this overall movement.
An important part of this movement includes knowledge about what NOT to use within the living space of a home, such as building materials, carpets, or flooring that outgas a wide variety of manufacturing chemicals, including benzene, formaldehyde, styrene, toluene, or xylene.
Products best avoided also include wood or manufactured products that outgas toxic materials such as formaldehyde or volatile organic compounds (VOC's). Also, one definitely should not use combustion appliances such as gas stoves that outgas into living spaces.
Another no-no is lumber for outside construction - such as patio decks - that has been treated with toxic materials such as ammonical copper arsenate (ACA) or chromated copper arsenate (CCA).
A most important consideration is that toxic substances such as insecticides or biocides should not be used in the construction of interior spaces. Unfortunately, these materials are added to many consumer products, such as paints and sealants, with little or no notice. Another sneaky source of pesticides is secondhand tobacco smoke, since tobacco is one of the most heavily pesticided crops in the world. Tobacco smoking should not be allowed in or around the healthy house.
Another healthy house concern that is attracting national attention is the problem of mold, which can grow in crawlways, basements, bathroom walls, and other damp places. The serious health hazards posed by some molds can remain undetected for long periods of time, with the occupants becoming aware only after critical health problems develop. In addition, we have the recent distraction that some insurance companies no longer cover mold damage through homeowner's or renter's insurance.
As each of these individual problems gains attention, what is emerging is a developing body of knowledge - and better products at competitive prices - that can be used to develop a very livable home that maximizes indoor air quality and minimizes energy requirements and environmental impacts. We are seeing more and more builders, architects, and even realtors, recognizing and supporting these concepts.
For example, it is worth looking in detail at the Green Points program managed by the City of Boulder, Colo. To qualify for a building permit, an applicant must accumulate points based upon a system that, as well as encouraging many good building practices, emphasizes some healthy house concepts:
To obtain a building permit for new construction of a 1,500 square foot home, one is required to accumulate of at least 50 "Green" points, which is an important incentive to use healthier techniques and materials.
This emphasis by a government agency encourages everyone involved in housing construction to develop an awareness of the many issues involved in healthy housing, and it encourages the marketplace to address these issues.
However, it is worth noting that the Green Points program, as do many similar programs, urges the use of recycled materials that may contain toxic substances. Keep in mind that it is the individual who will live in a house who must decide whether it is indeed a healthy habitat.
One example of a Boulder house that includes many healthy house considerations is the Farmhouse (http://thefarmhouse.org/ ). While it has some design features that may not appeal to everyone, I found its air quality to be tolerable, and the architect of the recent renovation was eager to explain the house's health features.
RESOURCES
Where does one get many of these products? (Planetary Solutions; http://www.planetearth.com/ ) is one Boulder supplier of many healthy house products, and the staff is very knowledgeable about the subject.
This paper originally published on www.stiltner.org/ and in the Mar/Apr 2003 issue of the Rocky Mountain Environmental Health Association; http://www.rmeha.org/ newsletter.
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