on December 18, 2012 in Health, Keeping House | 1 comment
By Alex Brooks
Could your cushions, curtains and carpet be making your family sick? In short, yes. Indoor air pollution in family homes is rapidly becoming
on December 18, 2012 in Health, Keeping House | 1 comment
By Alex Brooks
Could your cushions, curtains and carpet be making your family sick? In short, yes. Indoor air pollution in family homes is rapidly becoming a health risk that we all need to think about. Here’s how to stop your home from being a health hazard.
In late 2010, it was reported that the cause of death for actress Brittany Murphy and her screenwriter husband Simon Monjack may have been mould growing in their luxury Los Angeles home.
Murphy, the star of Clueless and Sin City, was just 32 years old when she died in December 2009; and Monjack was 39 when he died less than six months later, in May 2010.
Both were reported to have pneumonia and anaemia and US experts have suggested that household mould may have been to blame for the respiratory conditions that took their lives.
If something as simple as household mould could be so serious, what other danger zones are hiding in our homes?
Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOCs – a blanket name to describe chemicals that vaporise – have been linked to asthma and other respiratory health problems and there are plenty of them in household furnishings, paint and cleaning products.
The Healthy House author David Baggs, who also runs a website called Eco-specifier, says toxin-emitting VOCs are a real risk, especially in homes with new furnishings or renovations.
‘We know for a fact that formaldehyde and benzine are carcinogens, yet these chemicals can be emitted by furniture in the home,” he says.
Particle-boards, laminates, polyurethanes and other chemical finishes emit high amounts of VOCs – sometimes called off-gassing – when they are new and slowly pollute the home. “Especially if the room is not ventilated,” Baggs says, noting that over time the VOC emissions tend to become lower.
America’s environmental authority EPA claims indoor air pollution is one of the country’s top five health risks and Australian researchers at Curtin University are working out ways to banish the nasty little VOC critters from our homes.
VOCs aren’t the only culprits behind an unhealthy house. Dirt, toxins, mould and dust can cause respiratory problems and allergi