The Healthy House

Have you ever wondered if the lingering sinus infection you've had, or the persistent, dry, tickle-in-the-throat cough your co-worker experiences everyday at work, has anything to do with your home or workplace?

Well, quite possibly, it could. The fact that our work and living spaces do positively or negatively affect our quality of life has been well documented.

Now I'm not an expert on the environment, nor do I plan to become one. I'm just a person with a desire to know more, and with the limited amount of research I've done, I've learned this:

There is a term that you may or may not have heard of. It is the Healthy House. As homes become airtight and super insulated, they become more toxic. Are you aware that your carpet, furniture, building materials, new car and appliances all outgas or offgas? Offgassing is the emission of gases during the aging and degradation of a material. People develop sensitivities as a result of being exposed to offgassing. These sensitivities are responsible for a general feeling of unhealthiness. As we become aware of this problem, however, many suggestions for minimizing the effects of offgassing are out there, and the following are just a few I've read about.

A heat recovery ventilator or air-to-air heat exchanger might be installed. This device keeps fresh air coming into the house as well as ventilating toxic air out of the house. The floors, walls and ceiling should have an air barrier, as well as a moisture barrier, to retard the growth of mold. Airing out new furniture or carpeting before bringing it into the home will help diminish the amount of offgassing. Keep the garage separate or detached from the rest of the home. If your garage is under the house, don't store vehicles or chemical products there. Those are just a few. A good source to learn more on this topic is John Bower's The Healthy House, copyright, 1989.