Before I choose real estate as a career, I worked in the chemical industry. From the late 1980's commercial chemical sales started to look at the effects of bad indoor air quality, and the notion of sick buildings was formed. Words like environmentally safer and green became the catch words that are now the mainstream of commercial cleaning. This is a look at what they learned and how it can affect your home. More specifically we are going to look at how maintaining your home can create a hazardous risk and how to avoid it.
Poor indoor air quality is known to produce effects in occupants ranging from headaches and eye irritation to nausea, dizziness and fatigue; and the possible development of asthma and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. What you may not realize are some of the contributing factors that lead to bad indoor air quality such as the chemicals you use for cleaning, drain cleaners, laundry detergents, fabric fresheners, dish detergent, soaps, furniture polish, and paints.
These health effects contribute to increased absenteeism (sick days), low morale and decreased productivity. Feeling physically drained can be a sign of poor indoor air quality. Perhaps what you are unaware of is that "sick air" (bad indoor air quality) is ranked in the top five environmental risks as indoor air quality often is 20 to even 100 times worse than outdoor air. This risk is exponentially worse in tight energy efficient homes. The World Health organization estimates that 30% of all buildings in North America experience bad indoor air quality, and that number could be on the rise.
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) occurs when a person reacts to chemicals in the environment. These chemicals are usually petroleum based. Talk about an addiction to fossil fuel. When a chemical injury occurs, many persons become hyper sensitive to a significant number of substances in all categories of foods, molds, inhalants and chemicals. Petroleum based chemicals can be found in pesticides, synthetic fragrances and cleaning products & detergents. These products are in use with little testing as to health effects on humans due to the popular view that chemicals are "Safe until proven toxic." Do chemicals really deserve judicial diligence of guilty until proven innocent?
I worked with many schools during my years in chemical production and sales. Children are as much as 3 times more sensitive to chemicals than adults especially below the age of 13 when their bodies are growing and changing. Various studies of school districts found that there is a direct correlation between indoor air quality and both attendance and performance, as well as attitudes and behaviors. Is it realistic to say ADD is caused by chemical exposure? The research tends to point to correlations that could exist, if not proof positive. We do know much of the dramatic increase in asthma among school age children is the result of poor quality indoor air related to inadequate building maintenance, cleaning, and exposure to overly toxic cleaning chemicals.
Those in energy efficient green homes are at more risk. Most energy efficient homes use a tight "envelope" with limited air exchange to maintain heating and cooling levels. Therefore chemicals can accumulate over time and cause hyper exposure risks. Using products that are certified as green alternatives helps to eliminate the risks while in most cases outperforming their toxic petroleum laden counterparts. So as you move into that new green home or remodel using energy efficient methods, consider what you are bringing into the home and how it affects the indoor environment or your green home may be at risk.
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