It’s time for a change – and a new kitchen can be a great way to give your home a serious spring spruce-up, and make it healthier, too.

But if you or someone in your family has allergies and asthma, there are important steps you need to take.

The Demolition

It’s great to get older (and likely more toxic) materials out of your kitchen – but it’s crucial that you do it carefully.

The first step is to mitigate the demolition dust, which can contain chemicals, molds and other irritants, says Eric Corey Freed, principal with San Francisco’s organicARCHITECT and author of Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies. In order to keep dust from spreading, tightly seal off the area with plastic sheeting. It’s also worth picking up some hairnet-like covers for your air ducts to keep the dust from being recirculated.

Everyone working in the area also needs to wear protective goggles and a ventilating mask. “Guys tend to say, ‘I don’t need that, it’s just a little dust.’ But it adds up,” says Freed. “And it’s not just the heavy dust that you can see – it’s all the fine particulate that you can’t see that you inhale.” (Freed also stresses that if you suspect there is asbestos or lead paint, you need to bring in the pros to do the demo work.)

Mold can also present a serious problem because moisture often gathers behind sink cabinets, creating the perfect place for mold to breed and set off allergy symptoms during and after a renovation.

“Many owners see mold, spray bleach on it and think it’s fixed,” says Freed. Not so: the affected area must be completely dried out – or the drywall replaced – to ensure it doesn’t grow back. Once the demolition is complete, wet-mop to capture remaining dirt and dust, then flush the space with fresh air before that new kitchen rolls in.

Next Page: Choosing the right cabinets plus ‘cured’ counters that don’t off-gas.

There’s a lot of work in keeping an allergy-friendly home: regular dusting and vacuuming, cleaning with hypoallergenic products and ensuring low humidity levels to keep moulds away. This regimen is likely to keep indoor allergies in check, unless you have wall-to-wall broadloom. Carpets are heaven for allergy-inducing dust mites, since pile traps skin particles, the mites’ main source of nourishment.

If you’re looking to replace your dust mite settlement with a hypoallergenic floor, there are a number of good options. And esthetic appeal can still be your first consideration, according to Mark Bisbee of GreenFloors, a Virginia-based flooring company that specializes in healthy floors. “Just because it’s good for you, doesn’t mean it has to be ugly.”

Allergic Living sweeps through the following choices for a beautiful, allergy-free floor.

Bamboo

The green alternative to hardwood, bamboo is growing in popularity and dropping in price. Like hardwood, bamboo comes naturally light or dark (and can be stained) and is just as easy to keep clean. Bamboo, though, is actually a member of the grass family. It only takes three years to mature – most hardwood takes between 50 and 100 years – and it flourishes with few pesticides, so the impact of harvesting it is minimal.

Bamboo is kiln-dried and turned into a variety of floor products, from unfinished tongue-and-groove strips that are installed the old-fashioned way, with a hammer and nails, to floating floors that can be glued into place. Bamboo is durable, too, lasting between 30 and 50 years, and can be refinished. However, like any wood product, it’s not suited to a moisture-prone area of the home.

Be careful when choosing your bamboo since some brands are made using formaldehyde (known to irritate the airways), while other brands may emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Check also that an installer is using an adhesive that will not give off fumes. Be sure to ask a supplier for an emission-free bamboo: it is available and beautiful.

Cork

This is another great and green alternative. Bark from the cork oak tree is harvested carefully in its natural habitat, the Mediterranean, (Portugal is a major exporter) without doing any damage to the trees themselves – some of which are centuries old. The bark is then fashioned into tiles that are moisture resistant, making it a good choice, even in the kitchen.

Cork flooring products include glue-down tiles and floating-floor systems in which the cork is pre-glued to a core of particle board. Pieces snap together to make a floor. Wicanders is one brand that ensures the particle board in their floating floor is virtually formaldehyde free (less than 1 per cent).

Cork comes in a variety of colors and patterns. While it may feel soft underfoot, it is long-lasting as well as visually appealing.

Natural Linoleum

Just the word ‘linoleum’ may conjure up images of the vinyl flooring popular in 1950s kitchens. Today, the word has been reclaimed and is used to describe floors created from organic materials that are stylish and allergy-friendly.

Natural linoleum, also known by the brand name Marmoleum, is made from wood flour and bound together with flax and linseed oils to produce an anti-microbial barrier. “You can actually eat it – it’s 100 per cent biodegradable,” Bisbee says. Marmoleum comes in an incredible range of patterns and colors, from bright red to mahogany brown. It is durable, lasting about 30 years.

Next: Tiles and Stairs

These are all tell-tale signs of household molds – fungi that thrive in a humid environment.

This microscopic fungus is not something you want to be living with. It produces allergens, irritants and, sometimes, mycotoxins (a toxic substance that you can inhale).

When it reproduces, mold releases spores that can trigger hay fever reactions and asthma attacks in the mold-allergic. Even those who aren’t allergic can find themselves rubbing their eyes, nursing a skin rash or suffering from a sore throat.

If mold is growing in your house, it’s time to identify the problem and eliminate it.

Spotting It

To determine whether you’ve got mold, there are clues to look for, says Frank Haverkate, an indoor environmental consultant and president of Haverkate and Associates Inc., a Toronto-based environmental testing and consulting company that does mold inspections.

Mold needs moisture to grow, so any source of water that is not contained – such as condensation on your walls or leaky pipes – combined with a lack of airflow, can create perfect conditions for the fungi.

Haverkate suggests looking for peeling and cracking paint, flaking and powdery plaster, and crystalline white formations on the basement foundation that indicate minerals are passing through the stone.

Mold can be furry, powdery, slimy and come in a variety of colours, from black to green to white. In fact, says Haverkate, despite rumours that black mold is the worst for your health, all molds can cause problems. You can’t judge toxicity by the colour.

Companies such as Haverkate’s specialize in mold inspection. For $1,000 to $1,500, he will come to your house with instruments including moisture meters and thermal imaging cameras to suss out the problem and also do lab analyses of air samples.

The firm is one of the few in Canada to use a mold-sniffing dog to help identify hard-to-see cases. (Mold Dogs Inc. in Alberta and MoldDOG Canada in Port Coquitlam, B.C. employ dogs on the job as well.)

The Cleanup

The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp. suggests only small areas (no more than three patches of mold, each smaller than one square metre) should be tackled by an untrained individual.

If that’s your situation, protect yourself by purchasing an N-95 respirator that fits properly so you don’t inhale any spores. Wear gloves that come up your forearm as well as goggles without ventilation holes. Using detergent and water, scrub off the mold.

(Do not use bleach as it can react with surface materials and produce toxic gases.) Dry the area completely and make sure it stays arid.

For more serious mold infestations, you’ll need to call in a specialized mold removal contractor, with credentials from the Institution of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) and the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA).

Such contractors will set up a tent-like structure around the mold, which they pressurize before safely removing the fungi, so that isn’t spread around. Haverkate advises that mold inspectors who also do the removal have an inherent conflict of interest.

How To Avoid

There are simple steps to minimize your exposure to mold. Fix any leaks immediately; keep your eavestroughs clear of leaves, so that they drain properly; turn a fan on in the bathroom for 10 minutes after every shower or bath; make sure appliances, such as dryers, are vented properly; and cover cold surfaces, including cold water pipes, with insulation so that condensation doesn’t accumulate.

If you do have a flood or a leak, clean it up quickly. Chances are that if you remove the moisture within 24 to 48 hours, you will stop mold spores from setting up camp. While Haverkate stresses that a mold-free environment does not exist, an infestation in your home is unhealthy and should be eradicated.

Websites of Interest

CMHC page
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention page

Autos

Let’s start with your vehicle. If you’re driving an SUV, it burns one-half to two-thirds more fuel than a regular car. As for cars, newer models can vary con­siderably on environmental and energy efficiency, so compare both fuel effi­ciency and emission controls before buying or leasing.

Technology can only help so much, though. We need to reduce the number of vehicles and the time they spend on the road. One way is to hike the price of gas. As the David Suzuki Foundation points out, in Europe, fuel costs two to three times more than it does here, and European consumption is one-third less.

This is also an urban planning issue, since the growth of suburbs has extend­ed commuting times. So we need to halt sprawl and encourage people to live downtown or close to where they work. This means greater density, with more condo high-rises along subway and bus routes. To get people out of cars, you also need better public transit, as well as more bike lanes. Businesses need to be encouraged to provide secure bicycle racks, plus showering areas.

But in the shorter term, what can you do this summer?

- Carpool, use public transportation, walk or bike (if it’s not a smoggy day). One car commuter uses as much energy as a transit rider uses in 10 years. Viewed another way, if you take public transit instead of a vehicle for a year, you can save nearly a tonne of pollutants, including carbon dioxide.

- Avoid idling. Ontario stats show 3 per cent of fuel is wasted by idling.

- Tune up your car. If we all did it on a regular basis, we could reduce Nitrogen oxides by 12 per cent and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a key part of smog, by 30 per cent.

- Keep tires properly inflated. Each 5 per cent of under inflation in a tire translates into a 1 per cent increase in fuel consumption.

- Fill your gas tank in the evening, as this a major source of VOCs. If they combine with other gases in the sun, they create smog.

- Consider fuel efficiency when you buy a car. See www.fueleconomy.gov to check gas consumption and emissions.

- Buy a hybrid. Enjoy the sound of silence as you push the button that starts the electric-powered motor. You might qualify for Ottawa’s new rebate for hybrids – up to $2,000. They’re expensive, but what’s the price for breathable air?

- Retire the energy-guzzling clunker. A program called Car Heaven offers a free car tow and eco-friendly recycling.

Next Page: At Home

View the full article: Non-Toxic Painting

Painting a room or two is the single easiest project to undertake to improve the look of your home. A fresh coat brightens a room, and a properly chosen colour can help to set a mood. And importantly in tough economic times, paint won’t break the bank. However, to ensure the project is as healthy as possible, there are some good – and bad – facts to know before making your paint choices.

Chemical Reaction
Paint is concocted from numerous chemicals, some of which do amazing things. There are chemicals that can make paint mould resistant, others can make it dry quicker, harder, shinier or in a more vibrant finish.

Unfortunately, however, paint often contains toxic chemicals called Volatile Organic Compounds. VOCs have a petroleum-based composition, and are “organic” in the sense of carbon and hydrogen chemistry (not in the pesticide-free, organic food sense). VOCs are highly unstable and “volatile” – properties that cause them to fly around the air rather than sit still in the paint can.

These compounds are harmful respiratory irritants, which is why painting a room can be such a big issue for people with asthma, rhinitis and other sensitivities. Higher exposures to VOCs have also been implicated in liver damage and nervous system disorders.

Clearly, breathing them in is less than ideal. Symptoms from VOCs given off by paint include stinging and watery eyes, runny nose or more serious respiratory effects, headache, nausea, itchy or blotchy skin, dizziness or memory impairment.

Fresh paint does not dry as quickly as we think. Although it may feel dry to the touch, there are still millions of tiny chemical reactions taking place as it slowly hardens. Days or weeks may pass before paint stops “off-gassing” or releasing chemicals.

So moving into a room or home right after painting with VOC-laden paint can lead to low level, longer-term exposure to such chemicals. That can have as much or even more of a health impact as the painting itself.

What To Do?
The good news is that VOC-rich paints are going the way of oil-based paint and other dinosaurs. The green building movement has helped to make this a reality. Three years ago, I would have been hard-pressed to suggest an easily accessible low- or zero-VOC paint. Now, I can recommend choices among many paint brands, and options for more natural-based paints are on the rise as well.

Reading the labels on paint can be challenging, however. The labels are written more to sell the paint than to be educational, and important data are often missing.

Ask the salesperson for brochures, website links, and Material Safety Data Sheets. The MSDS are the active chemical ingredient lists – so for paint, these include the toxic stuff. All manufactured products must have them available, and they are often posted on websites. (There is still an information gap when it comes to a paint’s chemical ingredients as manufacturers don’t have to list “proprietary ingredients”, so that can be a black hole of chemicals.)

The other helpful thing about MSDS is that the company’s phone number has to be at the top of the sheets, so you can call directly and ask some more questions about what is in the paint, if this is important to know.

Many manufacturers of low-VOC paints are now starting to list on their cans the amount of VOCs that are in the paint. This provides you a baseline to work with when comparison shopping.

Who Says It’s Green?
In the green building industry, third-party certifications are becoming the norm. Contractors are wary of buying a product that purports to be “green” but proves to be otherwise. They look to the products that someone else – a really strict someone else – has tested and found to meet certain green and health criteria.

Third-party certifiers are organizations such as EcoLogo, Green Seal, GreenGuard, or Scientific Certification Systems. Look for products showing the certifier labels. For paint, they’ll be certifying for low- or no-VOCs. The certification standards vary, and can sometimes be confusing.

But know this: if a company has paid to have a product tested and certified, it has taken the extra steps to ensure it is doing more than just “talking up” green, and the product will be better than others on the market.

Remember to ask the same questions regarding the tints, those colourants we add to paint to get the beautiful shades. These can also contain VOCs, and your healthy paint could be messed up simply by turning a white paint to blue.

Next Page: Natural Alternatives

Home Detox

• Buy unscented cleaning supplies without harsh chemicals. Or, make your own: for example, mix one part lemon juice with two parts vegetable oil to make a furniture polish; use baking soda and water for scouring bathtubs, sinks and toilets and wash your floors with vinegar and water.
• Stop using personal care products with fragrance, such as shampoos, soaps, deodorants and perfumes.
• Choose solid wood furniture and cabinets to avoid off-gassing. Or, if your furniture is made of pressed-wood, seal any exposed areas with a solvent-free paint or varnish. Virginia Salares, senior researcher at CMHC, stresses solid wood is especially important in the bedroom. “That is where you’re being nurtured, getting rested,” she says.
• When buying new carpet, ask for choices with low-chemical emissions, including the underpadding and adhesives. If possible, air carpets in a well-ventilated room before installation.
• Avoid chemicals for pest control. Instead, choose traps, baits or fly swatters.
• Don’t smoke in your home, and don’t allow anyone to smoke in your home.
• Ensure natural gas appliances, such as stoves and furnaces, and gas and wood-burning fireplaces are vented properly to the outdoors. Smoke from wood-burning fireplaces can be especially problematic for those with asthma, and should only used if needed as a heating source.

Ousting Allergens

• Moisture, especially problematic in kitchens, bathrooms and basements, can cause mould growth. Run your bathroom fan (ensure it’s vented to the outdoors) for 15 minutes after a shower, or open the window, says Salares. Use your kitchen exhaust fan when cooking. For the basement, relocate downspouts away from the foundation of your house, use a dehumidifier, and dispose of any water-damaged articles.
• Remove any carpet from bathrooms. The warm, humid environment is heaven for dust mites. Also, wash your bathmat regularly.
• Use a good-quality vacuum, with a HEPA filter and concentrate on areas where there may be a high concentration of allergens such as the front door, in front of a window, and beside the bed. Engage in what Toby Saville, chief microbiologist at Dyson vacuums, calls “intensive vacuuming,” that is, run the machine over these areas for two minutes to maximize dirt and dust removal. Don’t forget to vacuum the stairs and under the couch.
• Hardwood or laminate floors are a good alternative to carpet. However, it’s important to keep them clean, as dust mites can still live in the cracks of hardwood, and dust and pollen can build up on the surface.
• Cover your mattress and pillows with a dust-mite proof cover and avoid using an anti-fungal spray, “which just adds chemicals,” says Saville.
• Dust furniture, blinds, books and toys regularly with a damp cloth, to avoid recirculating dust.

Ventilate, Ventilate, Filter

• For the best air exchange, install a heat recovery ventilator. HRVs are designed to quickly exchange outdoor air (brought in through a filter) with stale indoor air. Heat is transferred from the indoor air to the outdoor air, for improved energy efficiency. (More on HRVs)
• While elimination of contaminants and proper ventilation are your main strategies, air filtration or purification can also help to improve indoor air quality. Be sure to choose a system with a HEPA filter, maintain it properly, and avoid air cleaners that produce ozone.

Sources: Virginia Salares, CMHC; Jay Kassirer, Healthy Indoors Partnership; Toby Saville, Dyson; “The Healthy Home Audit” ; “How to Reduce Chemical Contaminants in your Home” ; “Fighting Asthma in your House”; “A Buyer’s Guide to Home Air Filters”; The Canadian Lung Association

Originally published in Allergic Living magazine.
To order that issue or to subscribe, click here.
© Copyright AGW Publishing Inc.

We spend up to 90 per cent of our time indoors, sealed tightly into our homes, trying to prevent costly energy loss and escape the chill of winter. But there’s a big looming cloud over the cozy picture. It’s inside air pollution.

The U.S. Environmental Agency labels indoor air one of the top five environmental health risks. Pollutants known as volatile organic compounds or VOCs are especially irritating to people with asthma or chemical sensitivities. And these gases are everywhere: they’re given off by new furniture, adhesives used in carpeting and cupboards, paint, drywall, a wide variety of personal-care products and dry cleaning.

But a whiff of good news on the home front: a study conducted by a University of Georgia team shows that at least five common houseplants cleanse the air of some nasty VOCs.

“I’m really excited,” said Dr. Stanley Kays, a professor in the department of horticulture and the lead author of the study. “I see a real potential positive health impact if we learn how to utilize plants to create a healthier environment,” he told Allergic Living.

The research team tested 28 common indoor plants for their ability to remove five toxic indoor pollutants: benzene (particularly found in drywall in Georgia), toluene, octane, trichloroethene (TCE) and alpha-pinene. “The VOCs tested in this study have a potential to seriously compromise the health of exposed individuals,” Kays said.

What floored him was the sheer volume of these compounds in the households. “When we started checking the air quality in some of the houses, it was shocking, unbelievable. We identified 179 VOCs in just two homes. It reiterated that we have a real problem here and most people have no idea about it.”

The Top 5

Of 28 plant species tested, five emerged as the best VOC eliminators.

• Purple Waffle Plant (Hemigraphis alternata) This attractive plant has puckered, slightly curled leaves that show off a red underside. It’s professor Stanley Kays personal favourite, a VOC-eliminating powerhouse.
• English Ivy (Hedera helix) The lush, fast-growing foliage makes for a nice hanging or climbing plant as ivy sucks up the UGA’s quintuplet of VOCs. Do keep out of reach of toddlers and pets, as the leaves are toxic if eaten.
• Variegated Wax Plant (Hoya carnosa) This tropical develops beautiful blooms in the summer, and its exquisite two-tone foliage inhales your household pollutants all year long.
• Asparagus Fern (Asparagus densiflorus) The plant’s abundant greenery scrubs toxins right out of the air. Meantime, the elegant spikes will perk up a room in the dead of winter. Don’t eat the berries, which can irritate the intestines; the plant can be toxic to pets.
• Purple Heart Plant (Tradescantia pallida) A favourite from the spiderwort family, this plant with its elongated, purple leaves out fills out to a full, beautiful hanging pot. Researchers rated it as superior for its ability to remove four of five VOCs – benzene, toluene, TCE and alpha-pinene.

On the Horizon

While this study is preliminary research, Kays is optimistic about being able to offer plant “prescriptions” in future. “I think we can really increase the health of people by the precise use of plants in interior spaces,” he says. A few pretty plants for much better breathing? Sounds like an idea that will blossom.

From the Winter 2010 issue of Allergic Living magazine.
To order that issue or to subscribe, click here.

© Copyright AGW Publishing Inc.