How safe is your home

The air inside your home may be as much as 10 times more polluted than the outside air. Today most people will spend as much as 90 percent of their lives indoors. As people spend more time indoors there has been an increase in the number and severity of allergic reactions and other chronic illnesses.So where is all this coming from? Of the hundreds of toxic chemicals found indoors, the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) studied three because they were the most commonly found and in greater abundance.

These toxins are formaldehyde, benzene and carbon monoxide.

Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is an important chemical used widely by industry to manufacture building materials and numerous household products. It is also a by-product of combustion and certain other natural processes. Thus, it may be present in substantial concentrations both indoors and outdoors.

Sources of Formaldehyde

Pressed wood products (hardwood plywood wall paneling, particleboard, fiberboard) and furniture made with these pressed wood products. Urea-formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI). Combustion sources and environmental tobacco smoke. Durable press drapes, other textiles, and glues.

Health Effects

Formaldehyde, a colorless, pungent-smelling gas, can cause watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes and throat, nausea, and difficulty in breathing in some humans exposed at elevated levels (above 0.1 parts per million). High concentrations may trigger attacks in people with asthma. There is evidence that some people can develop a sensitivity to formaldehyde. It has also been shown to cause cancer in animals and may cause cancer in humans. Health effects include eye, nose, and throat irritation; wheezing and coughing; fatigue; skin rash; severe allergic reactions. May also cause other effects listed under “organic gases.“

Benzene
Benzene is found in the air from emissions from burning coal and oil, gasoline service stations, and motor vehicle exhaust. Acute (short-term) inhalation exposure of humans to benzene may cause drowsiness, dizziness, headaches, as well as eye, skin, and respiratory tract irritation, and, at high levels, unconsciousness. Chronic (long-term) inhalation exposure has caused various disorders in the blood, including reduced numbers of red blood cells and aplastic anemia, in occupational settings. Reproductive effects have been reported for women exposed by inhalation to high levels, and adverse effects on the developing fetus have been observed in animal tests. Increased incidence of leukemia (cancer of the tissues that form white blood cells) have been observed in humans occupationally exposed to benzene.The EPA has classified benzene as a Group A, human carcinogen.

Carbon monoxide
Unvented kerosene and gas space heaters; leaking chimneys and furnaces; back-drafting from furnaces, gas water heaters, wood stoves, and fireplaces; gas stoves; generators and other gasoline powered equipment; automobile exhaust from attached garages; and tobacco smoke. Incomplete oxidation during combustion in gas ranges and unvented gas or kerosene heaters may cause high concentrations of CO in indoor air. Worn or poorly adjusted and maintained combustion devices (e.g., boilers, furnaces) can be significant sources, or if the flue is improperly sized, blocked, disconnected, or is leaking. Auto, truck, or bus exhaust from attached garages, nearby roads, or parking areas can also be a source.

Health Effects Associated with Carbon Monoxide

At low concentrations, fatigue in healthy people and chest pain in people with heart disease. At higher concentrations, impaired vision and coordination; headaches; dizziness; angina; reduced brain function; confusion; nausea. Can cause flu-like symptoms that clear up after leaving home. Fatal at very high concentrations. Acute effects are due to the formation of carboxyhemoglobin in the blood, which inhibits oxygen intake.

That´s just three out of the over 300 chemicals found in the studies! Most of which had not been identified.

Oh my God what are we to do, leave our beautiful homes and run in to the fields? That probably wouldn´t help because of the fertilizers…not to mention it´s cold at night and the rain..

How about reducing certain products in your home, using “exterior-grade” pressed wood products (lower-emitting because they contain phenol resins, not urea resins). Feather pillows instead of foam etc. This is all sounding expensive and rather intensive.

You could try plants: they look great, are easy to get and could change your life totally for the better.

Here are three plants that will not only clean the air in your home but make it as well. Over 20 years of research has shown that with the use of these plants the incidence of eye irritation is reduced by 52%, lower respiratory symptoms by 34%, headaches by 24%, upper respiratory symptoms by 20%, lung impairment by 10-12% and Asthma by 9%.

1. Areca Palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)

Works well in the day time

Great for living areas

One needs about 4 shoulder high plants/person

Needs to be put outdoors once every 3-4 months

The leaves of the plant need to be wiped everyday in dirty towns and perhaps once a month in a cleaner city
2. Mother-in-law’s Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata)

Converts CO2 into O2 at night

One requires about 6-8 such waist high plants per person in the bedroom

Leaves need to be wiped in the same way as the Areca Palm
3. Money Plant (Epipremnum aureum)

Excellent for removing Formaldehyde and other VOC´s
Its best to grow the plants hydroponically or in vermiculite, the reason being that the more air allowed to circulate through the roots of the plants, the more effective they are at cleaning polluted air. With the additional use of high-efficiency carbon filters and a root-level circulation system, the plant can remove approximately 200 times more VOC´s than a traditionally-potted plant.

For more information about plants and their air filtering properties try Dr. Wolverton´s paper Interior Landscape Plants for Air Pollution Abatement:
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19930073077_1993073...

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