The Air You Breathe

The air inside your brand new home could be 5-20 times more polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities according to a number of scientific organizations.
As a new homeowner involved in the building process you can help to improve the air quality in your home. The most effective way to ensure that the air quality within your home is healthy is too select less toxic building and finishing products. As a consumer, you need to ensure that a limited amount of off-gassing building materials, finishing products and furnishings are used in the construction and decorating of your new home.
Talk to your builder regarding opportunities to reduce indoor air contaminants (also known as VOC’s or volatile organic compounds). VOC’s –related health problems may include headaches and breathing difficulties, while not grave concerns they ones that you probably do not want to live with, this is especially important for anyone who suffers with allergies or other chronic illnesses.
Your builder should work with you to purchase building materials, finishing products and furnishings that are low emitting. VOC’s seem to ‘leak’ from furniture, newly painted walls, carpeting, floors, some cabinetry, etc. Watch out for MDF board, which is made with formaldehyde resin. MDF board is very prevalent in today’s new home construction and as wonderful, a product as it is environmental studies condemn its use as it continues to emit harmful vapors into the structure for many years.
Where do you begin-start from the ground up. Ensure that all your concrete including the foundation have been sealed. When selecting your finished flooring materials your first choice should always be natural-slate, bamboo, hardwood, granite, or cork. Ask your flooring supplier about formaldehyde-free laminates (not to be confused with vinyl flooring which contains high levels of phthalates and chlorinated paraffin’s that may emit harmful vapors) or carpeting that does not contain synthetic chemicals. Not only will these options look great but they will emit far less toxins into your home than traditional flooring choices.
On your walls, you can opt for using wall plaster rather than drywall and milk or natural paints instead of conventional paints and varnishes to help improve air quality. To finish cabinetry consider using natural oils or specially prepared natural varnishes.
Limit your PVC intake. Almost every home is home to some PVC products from pipes to window frames to flooring to blinds. PVC’s contains all sorts of nasty chemicals such as dioxins, lead, and mercury that will emit harmful vapors into your home. A healthier choice will be windows that are PVC free, try wood frame windows or PVC free plastic window frames. Check with your builder regarding options for plumbing pipes.
There is no doubt that building a healthy home is going to cost you a little more money, but then again can you put a price tag on your health?


 Cheryll Gillespie is a nationally syndicated Design and Décor columnist.