air quality
we spend up to 90% of our time indoors, where allergens, pollutants,
and VOCs can build up - often resulting in worse air quality than outside
Conventional Wisdom:
With the days of non-smokers being forced to endure tobacco
smoke nearly over, air quality indoors is not a big deal.

Unfortunately, even discounting tobacco and pipe smoke, indoor air pollution
can reach levels up to 5 times higher than outside. There are many common
items in our homes and offices that release (off-gas) VOCs and other toxins,
creating a cocktail of chemicals in the air.

Healthy adults usually tolerate this exposure, or may experience “minor”
symptoms like headaches, but it is especially problematic for children, the
elderly, and those with lung and eye problems. Another factor to consider is the
VOCs themselves – many are known carcinogens (like formaldehyde) and
neurotoxins (like "fragrance" in scented products). A healthy body can
metabolize or absorb these exposures, and what remains in our systems is
known as the “body burden” - building up over time with every exposure,
weakening the immune system.
Clean, fresh air is healthiest for living things. This category
addresses things you can do to improve the air quality in the
places you spend the most time: your home and your office.
re: Start simple steps to take today
  • Using HEPA air filters and ionic air cleaners may help; even the highest quality units work by trapping
    particulates but can not effectively remove all VOCs. Most particulate, of any type, aggravate conditions like asthma, so
    this is still a good tool to use – just be aware of the limitations.

  • Be suspicious of glues and finish coatings, as this is where formaldehyde often enters the picture –
    Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF or more generically, "fiber board"), the common material for inexpensive cabinetry
    (inside kitchen cabinets, bookshelves, etc.) is made with wood fibers glued together by a formaldehyde-based adhesive.
    Sealants and finish coats (paint, lacquer, and clear coats) also often contain VOCs.

  • Look for “Low VOC” or “No VOC” on paints and other coatings. Green Seal, Green Guard, Cal 1350, and other labels
    are also clues that the product meets strict voluntary standards for low VOCs.

  • If you've got hard floors, expose them - most carpet fibers and backing are synthetic and will off-
    gas for their lifetime. Use natural fiber area rugs (wool, cotton, sisal, silk, coir) for softness and warmth.

  • Go shoeless: 90% of indoor pollutants are tracked in on the bottom of shoes. Create an area at your front door (or
    main entry point) where shoes can conveniently be removed and stored.

  • If shoes are required for service, then provide a walk-off mat at the entrance to your office. 8 feet is
    recommended as a minimum to fully clean / dry the bottoms of shoes as they walk across the surface. Work with what
    you have, and know that if your office is located well inside the building entry (ie, down the hall or on another floor) all that
    distance is working in your favor.

re: Generate dig a little deeper
  • Establish a strategy to replace or encapsulate MDF and other high VOC emitters in your environment. MDF
    will continue to off-gas for the life of the product, though the actual amount will reduce over time. For newer items, look for
    ways to completely seal up any exposed MDF – this may require additional glue and materials, but tests have shown that
    it is an effective way to trap the gases where they won’t harm you or other breathing creatures

  • Vow to not bring any more indoors! To reduce or eliminate the “invisibles”, look for durable goods made
    only with non-synthetic materials like solid wood, sea grass, leather, metal (avoid chromed finishes)

  • Check your printers, computers, and other larger electronics on the EPA website to
    determine which, if any, could be replaced with a less polluting version

  • Green plants: there are conflicting reports as to the effectiveness of plants in cleaning indoor air. If no one has
    allergies or other sensitivities, indoor plants can be beneficial on many levels

  • Use natural cleaning products

  • Reduce /eliminate products with “fragrance” on the ingredient label. This generic term can hide a
    multitude of irritating and toxic chemicals

  • Choose low- or zero-VOC paint for interior projects. Look for the Greenguard label for low-VOC formulations...
    unfortunately, this measure does not take into account the colorants (which may contain their own VOCs). Benjamin
    Moore's Natura is truly zero-VOC

  • Open the windows often  – fresh air dilutes build up

  • Remove the source of odors instead of covering up with air fresheners (those open windows come in handy
    here as well)

  • Be cautious of conventional upholstery and cushions, and even some clothing; all can be made of
    petroleum-based synthetics and may be treated with stain resistors, antimicrobials / pesticides, and/or fire retardants.
    Look for materials that are inherently flame resistant and long wearing, like wool, mohair, latex (for cushions).
  • Stain resistors may be surface applied (Scotchgard) or chemically bonded to the fibers (GoreTex or Crypton) but
    all are molecularly similar to Teflon. Of special concern is nanotechnology, which is responsible for NanoTex -
    also a PFTE (polytetrafluoroethylene; see below for more). All these treatments will wear off into your environment,
    and at least one component is a known carcinogen.
  • Antimicrobials are pesticides according to the EPA; if you really need this attribute, look for fabric with
    embedded silver or copper (such as Agion or Cupron branded fibers) - these metals are inherently antimicrobial
    and will not wear off or off-gas
  • Fire retardants are often required by law, so it may be difficult to find mattresses and furniture cushions that do
    not contain brominated fire retardants (also called PBBs and PBDEs; PCBs, the chlorinated version, were banned
    in the US in the '70s). Unfortunately there are few chemicals currently known that are without the "side effects" of
    being persistent (not breaking down in the environment), bioaccumulative (moving up the food chain, where these
    chemicals have been found in alarming amounts in women's breast milk), disruptive to hormone systems (all
    mammals), and disruptive to reproductive systems (again, including people). For a very thorough discussion of all
    the issues around fire retardants, see Environmental Building News "Flame Retardants Under Fire" (click here for
    the article or an action checklist). Invest in an organic fabric mattress cover (to encase the chemicals and reduce
    your exposure) until you are able to replace it completely with a chemical-free product.
  • Nanotechnology shows great promise in medicine, where it makes many medications more effective by
    alowing them to bypass the body's natural defenses. But imagine by-passing those defenses with chemicals
    known to be carcinogenic. The FDA nor the EPA currently require any special labeling or testing of nano-
    ingredients found in consumer products. (Another thorough review of this topic by Environmental Building News).

re: Imagine now you're talkin' Sustainable

  • Prefer durable goods made of natural materials

  • Quit smoking

  • Have your chimney professionally cleaned and install filters on other air exhausts – make
    sure what you are emitting is as clean as possible, and is legal in your area (many regions are banning wood burning
    due to pollution concerns)

  • When it comes time to replace flooring at your home or office, consider hardwoods or bamboo (look for the
    FSC label to ensure it was sustainably harvested), linoleum (made from agricultural products - renewable resources;
    I like Forbo brand), carpet tile (look for the CRI Green Label to ensure low VOCs - I recommend InterfaceFlor
    residential or commercial), or cork (also a natural, renewable product)

  • Make your own non-toxic cleaners. I recommend Annie Berthold-Bond's "Better Basics for the Home".
    This book also has recipes for all sorts of home projects, including engine de-greasers, milk paint, furniture sealant, etc

  • Improve the insulation and weather stripping in your home to reduce the need for warmth from wall to
    wall carpeting and to ensure natural ventilation is taking place only when you want it to. These measures in concert with
    an attic fan or other whole-house ventilation system will help your house "breathe" properly while
    improving your heating and cooling costs.

1: Purdue Extension, published presentation: "Indoor Air Quality" Healthy Homes Resource, 2005
2: "The First Family's Asthma Problems" Ben Lieberman / Competitive Enterprise Institute, Feb. 26, 1999 No. 28.
Smog is the result of Volatile Organic
Compounds with a lot of “particulate” –
think tiny grains of dust and soot mixed
with  the invisible gases of carbon
dioxide, nitrous oxide, formaldehyde,
sulphur, and many others. Standard air
conditioners have filters on the intake
that keep particulate out – but the
invisible stuff can still pass through.

Generally this is a problem only if your air
intake is near a busy road, in the parking
garage, or near the loading dock. For the
rest of us, the invisible stuff
accumulates from the inside of our
homes – from the things that we bring
inside like:
  • cabinetry
  • insulation, lumber, and other
    building materials
  • fire retardants on building
    materials, fabrics, and clothing
  • finishes like paint, carpet, sealants,
    etc.
  • electronics, especially some laser
    printers
1
2
chemicals of concern: (definitions coming soon)
VOCs            urea formaldehyde        nox & sox
         "fragrance"            radon           c a r b o n  m o n o x i d e
                  brominated fire retardants