|
|
Indoor Air Quality
As houses are built tighter without a good understanding of ventilation and with more manufactured goods brought into the home, analysis of the indoor air shows that many houses have 10 times the amount of toxins circulating in the air relative to outside. Of the thousands of chemicals listed as harmful to humans by the EPA, only 2 chemicals, sulfur dioxide and ozone, are more prevalent outside the house than within. Our country has seen a large increase in adult allergies, a ten-fold increase in childhood asthma, and an epidemic of ADD and ADHD. While it would be difficult or impossible to pinpoint the exact causes, one factor may well be that we are spending more time than ever inside, and we are bringing more toxic chemicals than ever into our homes. Most of the chemicals in household items have never been tested at all for their health effects, and most of those that have show them to be something we should avoid close contact with.
One of the central themes of green building is to produce healthier homes by using products manufactured with benign chemicals in a renewable fashion, and by ensuring that the air in the home is as pure as it can be through ventilation strategies.
The following are a few products that should be considered for optimum air quality
- Cabinets – some particle-board cabinets have high levels of formaldehyde in them. Formaldehyde is a toxic chemical that has serious health implications. When specifying cabinets, buy cabinets made out of plywood, or use a brand made from formaldehyde-free particle board.
- Carpet – Carpet and padding can be one of the worst offenders for indoor air quality. Specify healthy padding and a good quality, preferably recyclable, woven backing carpet. Short pile loop carpeting, particularly made of natural fibers are the best option for a healthier home.
- Paints and Finishes – Specify low-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) water-based paints and finishes. Dark color tints and standard paints have a high VOC content, and can off-gas long after the paint is applied.
- Consumer Products – many of the items that we routinely bring into the house are loaded with VOC's and other harmful components. Be careful of what you bring into your home, especially children's toys. A good rule of thumb is that if you can smell it, it's off-gassing a VOC.
Another component of healthy interior air is regular exchange of stale and fresh air, and a
balanced ventilation system. HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilation, And Cooling. Ventilation is a critical function of this system for both energy use and health, and far too often it is misunderstood or completely neglected by installers of equipment. The "rule of thumb" HVAC installers who do not use computer modeling in sizing systems frequently grossly oversize equipment, and fail to consider the science of air flow mechanics in the operation of their equipment. Truly professional HVAC contractors use computer modeling of homes and have ventilation strategies for their installations.
|
