Green Design For A Healthy Home
By Carol A. Maryott, ASID

We now live, work and play in what the EPA has called a "chemical soup".

Understanding Indoor Air Quality And Toxicity

Data from the U.S. EPA (environmental protection agency) ranks indoor pollution as one of the top five environmental risks to public health. We breathe thousands of gallons of air per day, and the air we breathe indoors can be 10 to 50 times more polluted than outdoor air. (EPA 1998)

Among the factors that contribute to the challenge we currently face are: building materials, airtight buildings and less outside air filtration.

The products of progress that we now live with, fiberglass insulation, synthetic fibers, formaldehyde in particleboard and many other volatile organic compounds (voc’s) could result in thousands of additional cancer cases a year- a level of risk that places voc’s third after cigarette smoking and radon as indoor hazards. According to EPA reports, indoor air pollution consistently causes greater health risks than hazardous waste sites.

Progress: Building materials used prior to World War II were predominately made from natural materials. The effects of the thousands of chemicals that are now in use are not well understood and the combination of which may never be known.

Buildings and homes today are much "tighter" than those that were built prior to 1945. The combination of tighter buildings with more chemicals and contaminants inside and out, produce a great increase in the amount of toxins found indoors.

Unlike smog, indoor air pollution is invisible, but we are breathing it day and night. Especially at night. Your bedroom should be an oasis for recovery; a place where your body will have a chance to recuperate during the night from the stresses placed upon it during the day. Often harmful products in the bedroom, from carpeting that has collected dust to formaldehyde in particle board furniture are fighting the recovery process. In the same way that we have adjusted our eating and lifestyle habits to be healthier, there are steps that we can take to make our homes healthier. The pollutants and chemicals may never bother you in the air, but it is possible that some day the cumulative effect may cause a damaging reaction.

"Children are at greater risk than anyone because they play on the floor where heavy pollutants settle", Author/Researcher John Bower who specializes in non-toxic house construction wrote in his book "The Healthy House." According to one scientist "the greatest danger of pollution may well be that we shall tolerate levels of it so low as to have no acute nuisance value, but sufficiently high, nevertheless to cause delayed pathological effects and spoil the quality of life." Bowers says that we seem to be exhibiting more symptoms related to the environment than ever before. Allergies are more common today than just 50 years ago, and sensitivities to out gassed chemicals are increasingly being recognized." This constant exposure has resulted in people having less resiliency than they had in the past and more illness."

When you combine the out gassing of dangerous chemicals surrounding our home life with Houston’s humidity, mold spore growth, pollens and outdoor air pollution, it is no surprise that many people complain of constant sniffles, frequent illness, loss of energy, And often just "feeling bad". Allergies are becoming epidemic. From 1985 to 1995 there was a 31% increase in the US. Up to 30% of adults and 40% of children now suffer from allergies and it’s not clear why.

According to Jenny Currie, RN, Ph.D., CNC, MH

Living plants are vital in filtering contaminated air and are considered "nature’s air filters". Tests done by NASA show that common houseplants remove many harmful chemicals and pollutants through their natural process of photosynthesis. They are able to draw out many air born pollutants including carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, benzene, trichlorethylene (TCE) and cigarette smoke. The best "filter" plants are: aloe vera, bamboo palm, golden pothos, corn plants, spider plants and broad leaf ivy.

These plants lead the field in effectively reducing levels of a number of noxious gases found in almost every home or office building. NASA’s findings suggest that the use of living plants is important in improving the air we breathe. Eight to fifteen well placed plants will significantly improve the air quality in the average home.

Dr. Currie also recommends the use of negative ionizers. Negative ions are another of nature’s air purifiers. Ions are created by nature through means of wind, sunlight, surf, waterfalls and rainstorms. Generally, a negative ion is an electronically charged molecule made up of oxygen.

A positive air ion is a molecule that has lost one electron through the process of air pollution and the use of air conditioning. Negative ions remove pollutants from the air by colliding with various airborne particles. The negative ions give up their negative charge to that particle. These newly negative-charged particles then attract the positive particles surrounding them, accumulating enough particles until they become too heavy and fall to the floor. This may require a little more dusting and vacuuming, but you will not be breathing the mold, dust mites, pet dander and dust particles into your lungs. Negative ionized air in bedrooms improves sleep and helps with allergies because it allows for improved breathing as you sleep.

Air Ionization

Air ionization has been shown to improve your mood, energy, health and breathing due to the following:

• Ionization increases oxygen availability.
• Ionization increases your vital lung capacity. Promotes deep breathing.
• Ionization raises the neuro-hormone Serotonin, which has been shown to improve the moods, energy and reduce insomnia.
• Ionization improves the cilia beat of the lungs, which improve mucus flow, reduces thick and viscous congestion
• Ionization cleans the air, reducing the incidence of colds, cross-infections and flu, while promoting improved immunity.

Computer users are also at risk due to the cathode ray tubes in computer monitors that emit harmful positive ions, which have been found to cause symptoms of fatigue, sluggishness, feeling stressed or irritable and sometimes causing depression.

Air conditioning aggravates the problem as negative ions are stripped away when air moves through the ducts. Air quality cannot be restored to its original freshness without restoring its original electrical balance.

Negative ions counteract and eliminate negative feelings. As a positive effect on the environment, negative ions will also neutralize odors. The Pentax ionizer or The Ionic Breeze can now effectively remove toxic air pollutants, which have been known to cause many physical and emotional symptoms.

The list of environmental health hazards is long. A guide to remedy and alleviate the problems should start with the high-risk hazards.

FORMALDEHYDE is one of the most common voc’s and is ranked as one of the top one percent most hazardous components to ecosystems and to human health. At low levels, formaldehyde is an irritant and sensitizer, causing tingling in the nose, a dry throat and sore throat. At higher levels, it causes airway irritation and pulmonary effects such as coughing, chest tightness and wheezing. Prolonged exposure can cause nosebleeds, cognitive dysfunction, nausea and dizziness. Formaldehyde can also cause irritation and dermatitis when exposed to the skin and is a known human carcinogen. Formaldehyde is widely used as a solvent in glues and binders, and in fabric treatments such as permanent press clothing, soil and wrinkle free fabric finishes. It is used in number of flooring materials such as rugs, vinyl flooring, carpets, backings and adhesive binders as well as vinyl wall coverings, plastics, fire retardants, cardboard, paper, shampoos and disinfectants. The highest levels of formaldehyde off gassing emanates from cabinets, particleboard and wood composites. It is also found in insulation and is especially prevalent in gloss-type paints.

CARPETING: Environmentalists say that carpeting can contain up to 10 million organisms per square foot. As you walk across the carpet, each step creates a small invisible cloud of potentially allergenic material. When synthetic carpets are new, some emit formaldehyde vapors; others emit the hydrocarbons toluene and xylene. Carpeting is possibly the most "pollutant prone" floor covering a home can have. It traps house dust, pollen, mold and fungi spores, pesticides used indoors, and biocides tracked in from outdoors. It provides a safe haven for pests such as fleas and microorganisms such as mites. For those who prefer the look and feel of a rug underfoot, natural materials such as wool, sisal and cotton are the most environmentally friendly.

Since most homeowners have synthetic carpeting, it should be allowed to outgas for several weeks before occupancy by opening windows to allow fumes to escape.

The healthiest floor materials, as a rule of thumb are those that are the hardest. Clay tile and brick, terrazzo and hardwood floors are preferred to carpet or resilient flooring. Natural varnishes and natural waxes are the healthiest finishes for wood floors. For the chemically sensitive, installing prefinished wood floors is better than finishing them after installation if the homeowners will be occupying the home during the process. The most popular applied finish, polyurethane varnish, releases VOC’s into the air as it cures. Such a finish should be allowed to fully cure and outgas before you live with it.

Unless you are severely chemically sensitive, you will be fine once the potentially harmful chemicals have time to outgas.

Eliminating a toxin is the easiest way to ensure a healthy environment, but that isn’t always possible. Air cleaning and filtration can help remove the strongest out gassing immediately after the materials are installed and additional outdoor ventilation is always beneficial.

Potential hazards to look for in your home and suggestions for remedies for improvements.

• Flexible ductwork collects contaminants and cannot be cleaned. Solution: Rigid ductwork is better. Fiberglass insulation particles, dust, etc. sift through ceiling openings. Consider Reflictex, a foil faced polyethylene bubble wrap for duct insulation instead of fiberglass which can be drawn into the air stream and circulated throughout the house.

• Heat/air exchange systems. Consider Aprilaire high efficiency air cleaners. The standard throwaway filter or electrostatic filter in your furnace traps only about 15% of the pollutant particles in your home’s air. The rest circulates throughout your home. This high efficiency air cleaner protects blowers, coils, and other operating equipment from dust and dirt, increasing efficiency and service life. Installed in your heating /cooling duct system, central air cleaners with sophisticated filtering capabilities have become the accepted way to improve indoor air quality. It provides 99% efficiency on pollen and spores while ensuring clean air throughout your home.

• Use ionizers. A high efficiency air filtering system can remove particles from the air down to 0.3 microns in size. A hair is 75 to 100 microns thick. But an ionizer can remove particles down to 0.1 microns. This removes over 98% of bacteria, soot, and smoke; dust pollen and other allergens and disease organisms.

• Paint. Petroleum based paint and polyurethane varnish emits toxic VOC compounds as they cure. Latex paint is best but often contains additives such as mercury, insecticides, and fungicides. It needs time to outgas. Ingested lead based paint can cause brain damage in children. Specify no VOC, no formaldehyde lines of paint.

• Fabrics. Permanent press and synthetic fabrics in draperies, sheets, etc, outgas formaldehyde. Natural fabrics are best. Most foam pillows, mattresses and cushions outgas formaldehyde. Opt for finish free fabrics and fire resistant fabrics such as wool.

• PVC plumbing outgases volatile organic compounds; adding water filters is advisable. Copper pipe with lead free solder is best. Lead solder in copper piping is a health hazard. Uninsulated water piping is noisy, can be a source of dampness mold, and mildew.

• Many manufactured wood products such as interior grade Plywood for sub flooring use binding agents that outgases formaldehyde. Exterior grade plywood is better.

• Furniture cabinetry, paneling of particleboard outgases Formaldehyde. For cabinets, replace particleboard or interior grade plywood with a wheat board substitute. Specify furniture without particleboard or plywood substitute. Otherwise seal all surfaces.

• Sealants and preservatives. Specify no voc, no formaldehyde lines.

• New synthetic carpeting and pad outgas toxic chemicals. All carpet collects odors, dirt, pollen, mold and fungi spores, mites, etc. Keep carpeting as clean as possible by vacuuming at least 3 times per week. Steam clean carpeting at least once a year.

• Building components such as electrical outlets should be fitted and sealed to prevent insect in filtration and minimize pesticide use. Use air seals behind electrical outlets and switches.

• Rooms should have windows or doors to open for ventilation. Direct sunlight accelerates chemical decomposition of synthetics. Consider this when selecting window coverings and draperies.

For More Information

For a sampling of sources for sustainable design guidelines and information please contact Maryott Custom Interiors for a web site list.