Sick Building Syndrome Part 2 - Tips For Keeping Your Home Healthy

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2001/02/19/heal

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Sick Building Syndrome Part 2

Tips For Keeping Your Home Healthy

Bragi, Special to SF Gate Monday, February 19, 2001

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My wife is the Spider Woman. She grows spider plants all through our home,

where they hang ominously over the tops of bookshelves, swing silky tendrils

from the bathroom ceiling, and breed in water-filled canisters crowding the

kitchen sink. I keep expecting them to break loose from their roots and feed

on me in my sleep.

No, this isn't a rain forest fetish, just a modest attempt to keep the air

fresh and our allergies at bay. Certain plants, such as spider, philodendron

and peace lily, actually absorb invisible toxic gases emitted by common home

and office products, according to " How to Grow Fresh Air: Fifty Houseplants

That Purify Your Home or Office " (1997, Penguin Books), by NASA plant

researcher B.C. Wolverton.

My wife's interest in plants is indicative of a growing concern over the

quality of indoor air in our homes and workplaces. Such organizations as the

Environmental Protection Agency, the National Safety Council and the World

Health Organization warn that many of the manufactured goods that we use

every day -- the wooden furniture that we sit on, the paint that we decorate

with, the plastics that we use for just about everything -- commonly produce

toxic fumes, a process called outgassing. The smell of new paint, for

instance, is an extreme example.

People who develop an acute sensitivity to one or more of these toxic

" outgasses " can contract an " environmental illness, " such as Sick Building

Syndrome, with symptoms that range from chronic fatigue and nausea to vision

problems and memory loss. Even people without an acute sensitivity can

suffer from milder symptoms, such as a vague feeling of tiredness or lack of

energy while indoors. So no matter what your state of health, you can

improve your overall sense of well-being by improving the quality of the

indoor air that you breathe. Here is a good way to start.

Step One: Get some fresh air into the building if possible. Outgasses are

much less of a problem if indoor air is constantly being replaced with

cleaner air from the outside. Also, a poorly ventilated room that's full of

people will lower the oxygen and build up the carbon dioxide levels. So

throw open your windows once every day or two, even on a hot or cold day.

There are places, of course, where you can't open the windows, or where the

outdoor air quality is also suspect. High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA)

technology air cleaners can freshen stale rooms in your home or workplace by

filtering out tiny particles that you would otherwise breathe. The local

hardware store or pharmacy will probably carry some inexpensive models. You

can also invest in higher-end equipment from such companies as

Colorado-based Absolute Air Cleaners and Allergy Products which, according

to Vice President Barry Cohen, are more efficient and require fewer

replacement filters.

Cohen has a very personal reason for getting into the clean air business,

having been " chemically poisoned " while working as a contractor who treated

swimming pool decks with epoxy resins and acrylics.

" I was too stupid at the time to know how dangerous it was. It hurt my

immune system badly, I was sick for years, and I almost died. " Now he

markets environmentally friendly products to chemically sensitive

individuals, as well as businesses, the military and even the White House.

Step Two: Look around the building for possible sources of contamination,

such as particle board furniture (which contain formaldehyde), cleaning

products (which can contain volatile organic compounds), and old books

(which may be moldy). This net casts pretty wide, with a typical house or

apartment containing hundreds of chemicals and organic compounds. Since most

of us lack advanced degrees in industrial chemistry, the trick is figuring

out which, if any, of these substances may be significantly bad for your

health.

San Francisco architect Bernheim, a prominent proponent of green

design principles, suggests a surprisingly simple method: " Odor is a first

indication of the presence of irritants in the air. So when choosing

materials, smell samples of the products first. " If it makes you feel ill or

queasy, bingo.

Clip this paragraph and nail it to your forehead. Occupying a space that has

been recently painted or carpeted, or filled with new furniture, is a major

cause of Sick Building Syndrome. When new, these products will outgas at

high levels for weeks, months or even years after installation, until the

chemicals have had a chance to settle down. So whenever possible, insist

that the space is aired out thoroughly before you reoccupy it.

Step Three: Once you identify an offending product, try to replace it with a

healthier alternative. Unfinished furniture made from solid wood, for

instance, outgasses much less than either particle board or treated wood.

Also, consumers are starting to ditch chemical-laden commercial household

cleansers in favor of more environmentally friendly versions. For instance,

we use Life Tree HomeSoap, a phosphate-free all-purpose cleanser made from

vegetable and citrus oils.

If replacing or disposing of an item is not an option, you can try keeping

it in an airtight container. Valuable old books, for instance, can go behind

glass shelving or into plastic bags to slow mold growth. If you want to do

further research on a specific product or chemical and how to protect

yourself from its effects, the MCS-CI-Exile discussion forum is a good place

to ask questions of people with similar experiences.

Step Four: Keep your carpeting in good condition. Left alone, it can create

a zoo of toxic particles, such as dust mites, mold and bacteria. Some

particles are so tiny that a standard vacuum cleaner filter may be too

porous to pick them up, thus allowing them to blow back into the air. You

can solve this with a vacuum cleaner that includes a HEPA filter. Originally

designed by the Atomic Energy Commission to remove radioactive materials

from industrial air ducts, it can filter out particles as small as .03

microns.

According to Mike Boyle, the assistant manager at Vacuum World in El

Cerrito, Calif., HEPA vacuum cleaners are very popular among customers with

special needs. " People who have allergies and asthma can really tell the

difference. " He adds that they don't necessarily cost more than a non-HEPA

vacuum cleaners, depending upon which model you choose.

Not everybody is willing to vacuum the entire house every few days, and some

of us find even the cleanest carpets too much of a dust magnet. If you own

your own home, one solution is to rip out the rugs and install hardwood or

tile floors. If you rent, consider looking for an older apartment without

carpeting.

Step Five: Keep your body healthy, thus better able to handle whatever

toxins it does encounter. " I believe the illness [sick Building Syndrome or

Building Related Illness] is caused by many things coming to a head at once,

among them a breakdown in the immune and liver detoxification systems, so

strengthening these two systems should prove beneficial, " says Debbie, a

professional acupuncturist who suffers from Building Related Illness who did

not want to use her full name (interviewed in our last column).

To that end, she takes a multivitamin anti-oxidant formula with milk thistle

to improve her liver, and a Chinese herbal formula that contains Astragalus

Huang Qi for her immune system. Of course, every body has different needs,

so consider contacting a qualified nutritionist to develop your own plan. At

the very least, eat healthy, get some exercise, and spend some time

outdoors.

Regardless of whether you are chemically sensitive or just interested in

staying fit, clean indoor air remains important to your health. Don't limit

your concerns to the home; armed with the right information, you might

convince your employer to take a closer look at workplace conditions as

well. So spend some time playing private detective, investigating your

immediate environment, examining odd pieces of evidence, and letting the

culprits dissolve into the fresh air of day.

(In part three we'll conclude with a discussion of public policy issues

surrounding sick building-related illnesses.)

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Bragi, a freelance journalist who lives in El Cerrito, California, is

Editor of the multicultural webzine New Tribal Dawn.

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2001/02/05/heal

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