This section lists several web sites that represent they have healthy homes
available.
It is especially important to note that "green"
houses are not necessarily "healthy" as far as being safe for people
with Environmental Illness. We see "green" house interiors not being
well sealed off from the outside shell - which often contains formaldehyde
laden OSB (Oriented Strand Board). (Note that formaldehyde free OSB is
becoming available.) We see "green" kitchen cabinets made of
particle board that was not selected for non toxic type adhesives. We see
"green" houses with crawl spaces that are not designed to be dry and
free of mold. "Green" houses is an area for the buyer to be very
aware and ask a lot of questions. And this is a request for builders to be
more selective in their construction practices.
Another area of concern is the use of recycled materials.
The past history of some of these materials is very questionable since many of
them come from an era when there was much less awareness and concern about low
level toxic materiels. Yes, recycling is good, but the toxic history must be
questioned for all of these materiels.
This section gives links to a a wide variety of Housing Issues -
- AFM SafeCoat Paint; http://www.afmsafecoat.com/
- Air Quality Sciences; http://www.aqs.com/
- AdvanTech (formaldehyde free particle board and oriented strand board)
- American Institute of Architects; http://www.aia.org/
- Architects, Designers, and Planners for Social Responsibility; http://www.adpsr-norcal.org/
- Architectural House Plans (See Healthy Homes); http://www.archtecturalhouseplans.com/
- Arizona Housing Programs; http://www.housingaz.com/
- Building Concerns Newsletter; http://www.greendesign.net/bcnews/
- Building Green; http://www.buildinggreen.com/
- Building a Healthy House; http://www.immuneweb.org/articles/healthyhome.html
- CGH Environmental Strategies; http://www.cghenvironmental.com/
- Canadian Coalition for Green Healthcare; http://www.greenhealth.ca/
- Children's Environmental Health Network; http://www.cehn.org/
- Consortium for Energy Efficiency; http://www.ceeformt.org/
- Create Your Healthy Home; http://www.createyourhealthyhome.com/
- Create Your Healthy Home; http://www.create-your-healthy-home.com/
- Development Center for Appropriate Technology; http://www.dcat.net/
- Disability Rights Coalition, http://www.libertyresources.org/housing/nac.html
- Ecodes; http://www.ecodes.biz/
- Ecology House; http://www.ecologyhouse.org/
- Energy Star Program; http://www.energystar.gov/
- Environmental Working Group; Healthy Building Network; http://www.ewg.org/
- Grow BioIntensive Ecology Action; http://www.growbiointensive.org/
- Health House (American Lung Association); http://www.healthhouse.org/
- Healthy Building Network; http://www.healthybuilding.net/
- Healthy Home Builder; http://www.healthyhomebuilder.com/
- Healthy Homes Consulting; http://www.healthyhomes.ca/
- Healthy Homes for sale; http://www.HealthyHomes-fsbo.com
- Ecology Healthy House Design in California; http://www.consultclarity.com/eh/evalpt1.html
- Healthy House Institute; http://www.hhinst.com/
- Healthy Housing Coalition; http://www.herc.org/hhc/
- Home Power Magazine; http://www.homepower.com/
- House insurance, search for claims history, http://www.choicetrust.com/
- Housing Loans, Low-cost, Rural Housing Assistance; http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/
- Housing Zone; http://www.housingzone.com/
- Indoor Air News Source: http://www.ieconnections.com/
- Indoor Air book, http://www.myhouseiskillingme.com/
- Innovative Formulations, Ecological Paint; http://www.mirrorseal.com/
- International Institute of BauBiologie; http://www.bau-biologieusa.com/
- Intentional Communities; http://www.ic.org/
- Masonry Heater Association; http://www.mha-net.org/
- MCS Safe Building Materials; http://www.mcsinfo.homestead.com/
- My Healthy Home; http://www.myhealthyhome.com/
- My Healthy Home; http://www.myhealthyhome.net/
- My Healthy Home; http://www.myhealthyhome.org/
- My Healthy Home; http://www.myhealthyhome.info/
- National Association of Physiclly Handicapped; http://www.naph.net/
- Natural Home Plans; http://www.naturalhomeplans.com/
- National Center for Environmental Health Strategies; http://www.ncehs.org/
- National Indoor Environmental Institute; http://www.ieinstitute.org/
- National Low-income Housing Coalition, http://www.nlihc.org/
- Natural Builder; http://www.naturalbuilder.com/
- Nightengale Institute for Health Environment; http://www.nihe.org/
- Nirvana Safe Haven, Supplies for Surviving in a Chemical World
- NSF Consumer Product Database; http://www.nsf.org/
- No Harm; http://www.noharm.org/
- Oikos Green Building News; http://www.oikos.com/
- Pure Water Network; http://www.pwn.org/
- Sensitivity Solutions; Housing in Snowflake, Arizona; http://www.sensitivitysolutions.com/
- Sick House Survival Guide; http://www.sickhousesurvival.com/
- U.S. Green Building Council; http://www.usgbc.org/
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Sick Building Syndrome
Sick Building Syndrome(SBS) is a situation where people in a particular
building become sick, typically with symptoms of MCS. When this problem first
became a public health issue, researchers searched for an assumed personality
profile that would make some people more susceptible to SBS than others. The
profile was never found.
Two types of buildings are now recognized as causing SBS - new or recently
remodeled buildings that presumably have high levels of volatile organic
solvents or formaldehyde gases being outgassed from the building materials.
The second problem area is mold-infested buildings that have had water
exposure, condensation and subsequent mold growth.
SBS appears to amount to a low level or sub-clinical MCS injury where
people know they have a problem with such materials as fragranced perfumes,
petro-based cleaning materials, and the like. But they have organized their
lives so that they avoid such exposures and seldom have problems. And
consequently have never sought medical support. But when they spend an
appreciable time in a building with MCS aggravants, those aggravants build up
to trigger the MCS reaction and sometimes worsen the neural injury that causes
the MCS syndrome.
Medical buildings are a serious SBS problem area. MCS is a health problem
for some 11 ... 16 percent of the population. Yet many medical buildings have
carpets. A common question from people asking for references to a doctor who
supports environmental illness is "is the doctor's office carpeted?"
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Indoor Air and Air Cleaner Resources
The following section lists several resources for air cleaner
products that may be useful for people with Environmental Illness -
Of possible interest for persons with Environmental Illness is
an action underway to stop misleading advertisements for air purifiers and
ventilating systems that claim to remove tobacco smoke. See the following link
for more information -
Comparison information about various air filters is available
at the following web site -
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Fragranced Products in Healthy Homes
An important consideration for everyone, given the many problems from this
product, is that a Healthy House must not contain fragranced products. There
is now a regulation encouraging this situation in the Green Product
guidelines - Green products, according to the US Dept. of the Interior,
"MUST NOT contain petrochemical-derived fragrances."
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House Drying Out Service
A firm in New Jersey has developed a drying out service for buildings with
moisture problems and for new construction. The company has a hot air
generator that heats the incoming air to some 250 degrees Fahrenheit and
continuously feeds this air into the house at 2250 cubic feet per minute. In
some 48 hours, they claim the typical humidity in the house is down to some
four percent, as compared to the some 30 percent that common drying methods
achieve. Contact -
Their web site has a directory of nationwide service providers.
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Mold Problems
Elimination of mold is a very important healthy housing
consideration for everyone. And it is an especially serious problem for
people with Environmental Illnesses who can have a severe reaction to the mold
outgassing and particulates. Here are some links to more information about
this area.
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Material Safety Data Sheets
- Material Safety Data Sheets; http://www.ilpi.com/msds/
- Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are published by most manufactures of
consumer and industrial products. While many companies put most of the
significant components on the label that comes with the product, the MSDS can
list ingredients or components that may be considered innocuous to most people
but may be very significant to people with sensitivities or allergies. The
above site provides a wide variety of MSDS' and has links to many other
sources.
Other links for more MSDS information -
An MSDS sheet should contain the following information on the
following topics -
- Chemical product and manufacturer's identification
- Definitions and Acronyms
- Composition
- Physical data
- Fire fighting
- Hazardous identification and first aid
- Stability and reactivity
- Accidental release measures
- Handling and storage
- Exposure controls and personal protection
- Toxicological information
- Ecological information
- Disposal considerations
- Transport information
- Regulatory information
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Floors in Healthy Houses
The floor in a house is a big contributor to the indoor environment. It is
worth noting that many of the "sick building" problems are traced to
carpeted floors. Most carpets are made from petrochemicals, and release many
of those chemicals into the house.
Research in Europe is implicating some of the chemicals used to make carpets
nice and soft are serious endocrine disrupters and a potential health hazard,
especially to young children. To that end, those chemicals are being phased
out of European society. In other words, a smiling baby on a new carpet is
good advertising in America, but child abuse in Europe!
Conversely, ceramic tiles have many benefits. They are cheaper to install,
easier to maintain, environmentally friendly, and healthy. Especially when
installed with adequate underfloor insulation, they are very comfortable.
Also worth noting is that many environmentally-oriented physicians do not have
carpeted medical facilities.
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Radiant Panel Flooring
- Radiant Panel Association; http://www.radiantpanelassociation.org/
- The quality of the air in a house is especially importent for people with
sensitivities and allergies. A heating technique that avoids the forced air
furnace with all its dust and uneven temperature problems is the radiant
floor. See the above link for more information about radiant flooring and
references to contractors.
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Home Energy Rating System
The HERS index is being adopted by building regulatory entities across the
company to encourage the building of energy-efficient homes. The HERS index is
a relative comparison of the energy consumption a projected house with the
versus a comprehensive house energy consumption model. For more information,
see -
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Toronto Healthy Housing Proposal
A Proposal to the City of Toronto Regarding Multiple Chemical Sensitivities,
Environmental Sensitivities, Electrical Hyper-Sensitivities, and Housing.
The following links all refer to various formattings of the same article. In
particular, the large *.pdf files are best read only with a fast access line
and a computer with very large memory.
PDF Version:
Online Version:
MCSA NEWS; September 2008, Volume 3, Issue 9
Exclusive Housing Edition!
Entire PDF Edition:
NEW! Entire Online Edition:
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Warm Floor Product
- Warm Floor; http://www.warmfloor.com/
- Another capability that may be useful for people with sensitivities and
allergies is to heat the floor with any of several electrical products now on
the market. An example is the above where a manufactured flooring pad is
designed to be energized by a 24 volt line. While this technique may not be
appropriate for people with Electromagnetic Sensitivities, it may work very
well for other people. Also, this technique may work very well for an off-grid
home where 24 volt electrical power can be obtained directly from the 24 volt
batteries without suffering the energy loss in an inverter.
Paints and Sealants
A wide variety of paints and sealants, sometimes called
"low VOC" or "zero VOC" are becoming available that outgas
very little volatile materials and are often especially well tolerated by many
people.
Here are links to selected suppliers -
- AFM, Hard Seal; http://www.afmsafecoat.com/
- Benjamin Moore, Pristine Eco Spec; http://www.benjaminmoore.com/"
- Bio Shield; http://www.bioshieldpaint.com/
- Bona Kemi, Clear Finishes; http://www.bonakemi.com/
- Carver Tripp, Clear Finishes; http://www.parkscorp.com/
- Coronado Paints, Aire-Carehttp://www.coronadopaint.com/
- Crystal Shield; http://www.crystalshield.net/
- Devoe Paints, Genisis; http://www.devoepaint.com/
- Earth Tech; http://www.earthtechinc.com/"
- Frazee Paints, Enviro Kote; http://www.frazeepaint.com/
- Innovative Formulations, Ecological Paint; http://www.mirrorseal.com/
- James B. Day, Clear Finishes; http://www.jamesbday.com/
- Kelly Moore, Enviro-Cote; http://www.kellymoore.com/
- McCormick Paints, Natural Odor Free; http://www.mccormickpaints.com/
- Miller Paints; http://www.millerpaint.com/
- Murco Wall Products, Hi PO; http://www.murcowall.com/
- PPG Archetectural Finishes, Clear Finishes; http://www.gaf.com/af.com/
- Sherwin Williams Paints, Healthspec; http/www.sherwinwilliams.com/
- Spectra Tone, Enviro; http://www.spectra-tone.com/
- True Serve, True Value E20; http://www.trueserve.com/
- United Gilsonite, Clear Finishes; http://www.ugl.com/"
Some of these companies have low and no-voc paints and
sealants in their inventory even though they may not advertise it or list it
in their catalogs. Always ask!
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Healthy House Features
Here are some of the important features in a house constructed
for a person with MCS/EMF in Arizona that may be of interest to others
considering the housing challenge.
- Whole house air filtration using active charcoal and HEPA filtration.
- Whole house vacuum system with external clean out and exhaust.
- Water softener to provide safe water for whole house and garage facility.
- Large study/office could also be used as fifth bedroom in house. Ideal for an attendant/cook near the kitchen and laundry.
- House surround and driveway is volcanic cinders for plant and dust control.
- Large utility room designed to isolate harmful EMF and inhalants, including vented closets for dirty clothes and shoes used outside.
- No EMF producing equipment beyond kitchen to provide safe layout.
- Special air exhaust in kitchen and all closets to eliminate harmful inhalants.
- Special washed galvanized duct work for HVAC.
- Separate garage with additional laundry, hot water, bath, bedroom, office and workshop.
- Vented cabinets for TV, stereo and computer in two separate rooms to eliminate inhalants.
- Shielded and twisted pair electrical wiring to eliminate electromagnetic fields (EMF).
- Located in community with at several other EI homes and neighbors providing support.
- Grouted well with no plumbers dope used anywhere. Copper plumbing used throughout house and garage.
- One bedroom is entirely ceramic tile to maximize comfort for the severely ill.
- All ceramic tile sauna for therapeutic use.
- All metal shelving throughout all closets and pantry.
- Organic garden with irrigation.
- Ceramic tile throughout.
- All electric home and garage facility.
- Custom made insulation to eliminate any petroleum products.
- Custom white maple cabinets - metal drawer sides for inhalation safety.
- All underground power and transformer located far from house.
- All construction was with minimal formaldehyde and petroleum products (no plywood, glues, etc.).
- All low VOC (volatile org. chemicals) paints used throughout.
- Reverse Osmosis (RO) system for drinking water.
- All steel exterior to eliminate need for toxic paints/stains.
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Search Engines
Here are several search engines in
case you wish to do more research from this page -
Follow the links below to learn more about
RMEHA and Environmental Illness.
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Updated '2-Jun-2014,15:02:20'
