Healthy Home; Detoxing Your House

From the Spring & Summer 2007, greenliving magazine, pages 73, 75, here is an article about how to improve the air quality in your home:

HOME, SAFE HOME
Detoxing Your Digs

by Jennifer O'Connor

Sure, you eat organic and do Bikram yoga, but how healthy is your home? Things like cooking smoke, cleaning chemicals and common mould all hamper indoor air quality. Fortunately, there are some simple things you can do to breathe more easily.

To find out what I could do to improve my home environment, I decided to go to a specialist. When Art Robinson, president of Sick Building Solutions, and field manager Al McLaren arrived, the first thing they did was check the air's carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide levels, as well as the temperature and humidity. The carbon dioxide level in my living room came in at 800 parts per million (500 to 800 is acceptable), which I was told is normal for three people breathing in an enclosed, relatively small space. Radiators heat my apartment, so there's no air exchange, but it's an old house, so there are cracks that let fresh air in. Symptoms of too much carbon dioxide include headaches and sleepiness, so it's important to keep air flowing. Open your windows or balance the need for fresh air with energy efficiency by using a heat-recovery ventilator, which draws new air indoors and pushes the old outside ($1,000 and up, plus installation).

Robinson and McLaren didn't find carbon monoxide (but then, I don't have oil or gas powered appliance's a working fireplace or any of the other monoxide-makers. However, this colourless, odourless gas can cause numerous ailments, including nausea, headaches and dizziness, so Robinson suggests getting a carbon-monoxide detector, which costs $35 to $45 and lasts about five years. During an inspection, Robinson will also interview clients to find out if they have specific complaints and concerns - he is able to test for more than 1,000 different substances.

Of course, it didn't require an expert to find the mould in my loo. "We get calls for this," he said, recommending I leave the window open after a shower to let the mould-fostering moisture exit the building. Other household threats are radon and formaldehyde. Radon is naturally occurring radioactive gas found underground that can get into the home through cracks in concrete, dirt floors and under the furnace base and may increase your risk of lung cancer. Health Canada suggests sealing basement walls and floors with a polyurethane caulking compound. Formaldehyde is released by many items in the home such as carpet cleaners, particleboard and dishwashing liquids. Exposure to too much of it can cause everything from sore throats and burning eyes to, in extreme cases, cancer of the nasal cavity.

If sealing your basement or replacing your cabinets isn't high on your to-do list, never fear. Here are some tips for getting your quick detox fix.

1. Take off your shoes when you come in. There can be substances in soil you don't want to track through the house.

2. Ditch household hazardous waste such as old paint and batteries (contact your municipality for a safe disposal site near you).

3. Use eco-friendly cleaners such as baking soda and vinegar, and replace abrasive cleansers with steel wool.

4. Keep your house smoke-free. That includes smoke not just from cigarettes but from anything you burn indoors, such as candles.

5. Fight the good fight against dust, which can absorb and distribute toxic particles through the air. That means limiting rungs and curtains; they attract dust and are difficult to clean.

6. Take The Lung Association's virtual tour of air-quality hot-spots in your home at www.yourhealthhome.ca.

7. Consider consulting a pro. The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), 1-800-668-2642, or your provincial lung association, 1-888-566-5864, can provide referrals. Or check the Yellow Pages under "indoor air consultant" or "building consultant." Ensure whoever you hire CMHC trained and expect to pay anywhere from $250 to $700.