06/10/98

Readers Talk about Home Toxins

... in response to ""Home Toxin Home"

Indoor pollutants not only adversely affect human health, but the health of pets as well. Comments from readers indicate that the general public is becoming increasingly knowledgeable about environmental hazards and is prepared to take steps to eliminate them, at home, at work and in schools. Several of their suggestions follow.

• Thank you for creating more awareness of the growing problems related to indoor air pollution, now considered America's #1 environmental health hazard. For more information on the subject, read "Everyday Exposure to Toxic Pollutants," by Ott and Roberts, published in the February, 1998 issue of Scientific American. The article can be accessed via the Internet at: http://www.sciam.com/1998/0298issue/0298ott.html -- Reduce Indoor Pollution

• There are several books on the market which list health symptoms (in people and their pets) and possible causes from inside your house. Most people don't realize that pets can be harmed from new carpets, stain resistant carpets and drapes, toxic floor cleaners, chemical stick-on air fresheners, clumping cat litter and other products. Remember that your pet will be the first one affected by toxins, then your kids and then you. Kids under two years of age spend a lot of time on the floor, so they may develop symptoms right after a carpet has been cleaned with chemicals. -- Educate Yourself about Indoor Toxins

• I think the outdoor air pollution in Connecticut is bad enough to create poor health. Over the last couple of years, I developed sinus problems and thought that it was my cat. But last March I went to Puerto Rico and experienced no allergy symptoms there. An hour after I returned home my head was filled. Connecticut pollution can play a role in sinus/allergy problems. -- Pollution Can Cause Allergies

• We have an indoor cat, and she has allergies, so we use a lot of natural cleaning products and air purifiers. I order from a catalog called "Priorities - The Allergy and Asthma Relief Catalog." All of their products are free of harsh chemicals and some of them help get the chemicals out of a new carpet. -- Buy Chemical Free Products

• Indoor pollution exists in school environments as well as in our homes. Environment and Human Health (EHH), an organization based in North Haven, CT (203-248-6582) identifies key human health issues and works to create solutions in order to improve public health and reduce health risks. Members gather and disseminate information to inform the public about ways to develop healthier environments for themselves and their families. One EHH document of singular importance is entitled "12 Steps Toward Healthier Schools." Due to the fact that children spend six or more hours a day in schools, they need to be as environmentally safe as possible. School officials who implement the recommended 12 steps will decrease environmental hazards and thereby help prevent student health problems.
  1. Pesticides are toxic, so keep exposure to a minimum. Use the least toxic materials possible and don't allow people back into buildings until the residue is gone. Don't apply pesticides to outside grounds unless absolutely necessary. Give prior notice to parents and staff.
  2. Ventilate art rooms properly. Many art supplies are toxic and become airborne irritants to the lungs and bronchial tubes. EPA recommends 25 cubic feet of outdoor air per occupant. Don't circulate art room air into other parts of the building.
  3. Install formaldehyde free carpeting and use non-toxic adhesives. Many carpets, backings and adhesives have a great deal of formaldehyde (a respiratory irritant) and outgas for long periods of time. Children should not be exposed at all, no less over long periods.
  4. During new construction and renovations make good indoor air quality one of the criteria of the project. Use the least toxic materials practical and create work schedules that will not put air quality at risk for children and teachers. Don't use wood products (such as particle board) that use formaldehyde as a bonding agent.
  5. Take care in selection of materials for playground equipment. Processed or treated wood has been impregnated with copper and arsenic, used as deterrents to pest infestation. The arsenic (a carcinogen) leaches from the wood and can be absorbed through the skin. If the school has already invested in these products, the school can paint the surfaces of the treated wood, and that will almost entirely stop the arsenic from leaching.
  6. Protect children and staff from the exhaust fumes of buses or motor vehicles. Make sure the air intake of the ventilating system is not in an area where cars or buses idle so that incoming air is laden with diesel and car exhaust. Also make sure children are not waiting at bus stops where many buses are idling for long periods of time.
  7. Remediate wet areas to deter growth of molds that can cause asthma and other allergic reactions.
  8. Use the least toxic cleaning products available that will do the appropriate work that needs to be done.
  9. Properly ventilate chemistry laboratories and other labs using hazardous materials, making sure the exhaust does not go into other parts of the building.
  10. Copy machines outgas ozone and therefore should be well ventilated. Ozone is not good for lung function.
  11. Test schools for radon, a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that emanates from rock and soil content in the ground. At high enough levels radon is a human lung carcinogen. Radon can be easily tested for and rather inexpensively remediated. Also, drinking water should be tested for lead content that can come from pipes with lead soldering.
  12. Schools should be smoke free environments.
  -- Keep Schools Toxin Free

Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.