OT: Pre-fabricated house dangers?

[Guest guest]

Sorry that this is off-topic, though still related to health. I have

heard that pre-fabricated houses have formaldehyde and other toxic

things in them. But I can't find anything to substantiate that. Any

help?

TIA.

[Guest guest]

Dear Tawn,

I cannot give you the whereabouts of this info, but I have heard and

read for many years that most new housing (pre-fabricated or stick

built)is full of many toxic chemicals, including formaldehyde. A

major culprit is pressed fiber-board which will continue to outgas

for who knows how long. Try going into Home Depot or Lowes and taking

a whiff of the lumber area. It's enough to give you a headache. Most

new homes are enveloped in pressed fiber-board, as well as other non

natural products. There is a great deal of evidence that these

products are linked with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), Chronic

Fatique Syndrome (CFS) and " sick building syndrome " , possibly leading

to more serious auto-immune illnesses such as MS and Lupus. I think

the best solution is to buy a home that is more than 20 years old, or

to build a new home with green materials. The magazine Natural Home

is a wonderful resource.

Gianine

> Sorry that this is off-topic, though still related to health. I

have

> heard that pre-fabricated houses have formaldehyde and other toxic

> things in them. But I can't find anything to substantiate that.

Any

> help?

>

> TIA.

[Guest guest]

Tawn, I forgot to mention carpet as one of the culprits. Look at this

website http://www.prohousedr.com/formfact.htm for more info.

Gianine

[Guest guest]

Hello,

I have read about the many toxic chemicals used in most building

materials also, so when my husband and I decided to build a house, we

chose a log home. This is not a typical " kit " log home, we used real

trees unmilled. Having no previous building experience, we took a

class in Seattle from a 5th generation log home builder. He gave us

all the info we needed to learn how to work with logs and be able to

lift them in place with only block and tackle. It took us 2 years,

but the house is finally done. We have built it using NO drywall, NO

particleboard, NO carpeting, and only a very small amount of

plywood. The cabinets and vanities were all recycled from older

houses, so the outgassing would be virtually nonexistant. All

interior walls are rough cut boards, and windows and doors which were

salvaged, are wood also. This method of building is one of the

healthiest, not to mention very strong and economical to build.

For anyone wanting a healthy home that they can build themselves, or

to get out of debt, this is definately a way to go. For more info on

the class we took, see www.loghomeinfo.com It was well worth it!!

And if anyone is interested, email me privately and I'll send you

some photos...

Becky, who is loving her log house in GA!!

[Guest guest]

--- Tawn <mom2abcd@...> wrote:

> Sorry that this is off-topic, though still related

> to health. I have

> heard that pre-fabricated houses have formaldehyde

> and other toxic

> things in them. But I can't find anything to

> substantiate that. Any

> help?

I don't know of any specific sources about toxic

substances in pre-fab homes, I suspect there are some

websites out there if you sniff around, but it's well

known that the things they, and other conventional

homes for that matter, are built from are full of

stuff like formaldehyde. For instance, the glues used

in plywood, OSB, and particle board; fibers and

backing in carpets, carpet padding; paints; various

countertop substances, these all outgas or shed

particles that are unhealthy.

Here's a page with some links:

http://www.replete.com/nontoxic.html

Aubin

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Thank you for the ideas! Our home comes with my dh's job and the board

plans to move us into a new house, possibly pre-fab. With Chronic

Fatigue Syndrome, I don't want to take any chances and I need " proof " to

present to some who are skeptical. I'll see what more I can find out.

Thanks!

~Tawn