VOCs

[Guest guest]

Volatile Organic Compounds: The Health Dangers of VOCs, Where They are Hiding & How to Avoid Themby www.SixWise.com

Products that you use in your home and office every day emit gases that can harm your health, both right away and after extended exposure. These gases are known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and they're emitted from a whole slew of items so much so that there's a pretty good chance your new home, office, car -- even that shiny new airplane you took your last business trip in -- are literally bathing you in a chemical cocktail.

Building a new home? VOCs in the indoor air of new buildings is on average 20 to 40 mg per m 3. Adverse health effects may be felt at 10 mg per m 3.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, concentrations of VOCs are consistently up to 10 times higher indoors than outdoors. Other studies have found that certain organic compounds average levels two to five times higher in indoor air than outdoor air.

What is most shocking, however, is that immediately after using certain products, such as paint stripper, studies have found that VOCs may be 1,000 times higher than background outdoor levels.

VOCs: Here, There and Everywhere

Part of the problem with VOCs is that they are so prolific in our environment.

Sources of VOCs Include…

Paints Paint strippers and other solvents Wood preservatives Aerosol sprays Cleansers and disinfectants Moth repellents Air fresheners Stored fuels and automotive products Hobby supplies Dry-cleaned clothing Varnishes Newspaper

Cooking Vinyl floors Carpets Photocopying Upholstery fabrics Adhesives Sealing caulks Cosmetics Vehicle exhaust Pressed wood furniture Tobacco smoke (secondhand smoke)

New materials, such as those used in new homes and cars, tend to outgas more VOCs than older materials, and may decrease in VOCs as time goes by.

For instance, according to researchers of Australia's Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), "Total VOCs in the indoor air of new buildings is on average 20 to 40 mg per m 3, while established buildings have VOC levels generally below 1 mg per m 3."

In fact, it is the heavy mixture of VOCs that gives new vehicles their characteristic new car smell. Automakers do try to limit the most potent VOC-emitting items; however, the result is that the cars may no longer have the smell many consumers love -- good for your health, but potentially bad for business.

Automakers have come up with a quick fix, though, and may add artificial "new car smell" or "treated leather" fragrances to vehicles.

VOCs' Health-Harming Ways

While some VOCs cause no known health effects, others are known to be highly toxic. Their effects vary and are dependent upon several factors including:

The length of time you're exposed to them

The rate at which the VOC is off-gassed

The building's ventilation capacity

Whether you're exposed to a combination of chemicals (these effects are largely unknown)

Perchloroethylene is a cancer-causing VOC used in dry cleaning. Look for environmentally friendly cleaners that do not use this toxic chemical.

Acute symptoms of VOC exposure include:

Eye irritation/watering

Nose and throat irritation

Headaches

Nausea/vomiting

Dizziness

Asthma exacerbation

Allergic skin reaction

Memory impairment

Visual disorders

However, over time, VOCs can lead to many serious conditions including:

Cancer

Damage to the liver, kidney and central nervous system

Loss of coordination

People with respiratory problems such as asthma, young children, the elderly, and people with heightened sensitivity to chemicals may be more at risk from VOC health effects. CSIRO found, though, that anyone could experience acute symptoms at exposure to concentrations above about 10 mg per m3.

Remember, new buildings may average VOC levels at 20 to 40 mg per m 3, and the CSIRO report found total VOC concentrations for new cars to be as high as 64 mg per m3 of air. After a few weeks, this level fell to 2.1 mg per m3, and to about 1.5 mg per m3 after six months.

One caveat, as the temperature rose, so did the total VOC concentrations in the cars.

[Guest guest]

Tom, as usual you have interesting information to share. However, if it's

not LDN-related, please label it " off-topic " in the subject line so people

can skip it easily if they choose to.

Thank you.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Will do...

Regards,

Tom

[low dose naltrexone] Re: VOCs

Tom, as usual you have interesting information to share. However, if it's

not LDN-related, please label it " off-topic " in the subject line so people

can skip it easily if they choose to.

Thank you.