The air you breathe will have a profound effect on your overall ability to work, concentrate and perform daily tasks.  In addition it can have a strong lasting effect on your health and is a preventative factor in many respiratory illnesses as well as certain types of cancer.

Most of us are aware that you shouldn't start a car in a closed garage and leave it running without proper ventilation.  The result could be deadly!  However, many household products, furnishings and general home maintenance practices can have a similar effect over time.

The usual argument for this is - "go live in a cabin in the woods".  However appealing this might seem to some, it is completely unnecessary and illogical.

We can show you easy and inexpensive ways to make any home or office a healthier place to live without sacrificing any of today's modern gadgets, devices or amenities.  It's all about making informed choices.

A few things to watch out for when dealing with  air quality.

Toxic Gases

Toxic gases in a home or office can come in the form of:

• Natural, propane and sewer (methane) gas.
• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) including formaldehyde.
• Combustion gases.  
• Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Sewer gas can be emitted from unused drains when the water in the drain elbow has evaporated and no longer blocks gas as intended.  Also faulty toilets or vent stacks can cause sewer gas to seep into the house.

Formaldehyde gas is given off by a wide variety of building materials and products such as plywood, chip board, particle board, drywall, sealants, calking, carpet padding, paint, treated fabrics and furniture that is glued or laminated.  This gas can be pervasive in homes up to 10 years old.

Other materials can emit dozens of different VOC’s.  Paints, solvents, dry cleaning, pesticides, sealants, glues, mastics, carpets, and household cleaning products can all give off various VOC’s.

Combustion gases, created when fuel (gas, wood, oil) is burned, can back up from the stack venturi (exhaust) due to poor air flow and back draft back into the home.

Health Effects

Blurred vision, hedaches, nausea, dizziness, coughing, burning eyes, sinus irritation, skin rashes, respiratory illness, concentration difficulties, depression, and in extreme cases loss of consciousness and suffocation.  

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)

VOC's are organic chemicals that are used in household products, office equipment, building materials, fuels, paints, varnishes, glues, aerosols, air fresheners, dry cleaning, wax containing organic solvents as well as cleaning, disinfecting, cosmetic and degreasing products.  The word 'Organic' in this case means refers to the presence of carbon and should not be confused with organic products that are healthy.

As the name implies, VOC's are very volatile which can lead to the emission of hazardous chemical fumes.  Many VOC's are considered to be carcinogenic as well as mutagenic.

The EPA in the United States found that levels of common VOC pollutants was 2 to 5 times higher inside homes compared to outside regardless of whether homes were located in rural or highly industrialized areas.

Some of the most common VOC are: 

• tolulene, methylene chloride found in paint, benzene found in paint, fuels, sealants, adhesives and tobacco smoke. 
• Formaldehyde is one of the most common found VOC off gassing from building materials as well as mattresses, glues, resins, and finishes. 
• Perchloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene can also be found in high concentrations in indoor air due to dry cleaned clothing.  
• Petroleum distillates can be found in household polishes and sprays.  
• P-dichlorobenzene is the active ingredient in moth balls.  
• Strong acids can be found in household cleaners like toilet bowl, tub and shower cleaning agents.  
• Vinyl products such as shower curtains, PVC piping and vinyl floor tiles can emit vinylchloride as well as dioxin.

Furniture as well as mattresses made from polyurethane foam often emit toluene di-isocyanate which can cause respiratory difficulties in sensitive people.

Mold as well as contaminated drinking water can off gas a variety of toxins into the indoor space.

Off-gassing of VOC's are greatly affected by the temperature, relative humidity as well as Carbon Dioxide (CO2) levels in the indoor space.

Health Effects 

Adult humans each take in approximately 20 m3 (cubic meters) of air per day.  School age children and preschoolers take in between 14 and 12 m3 of air per day.  Contaminated air can result in:

Acute effects, such as surface reactions in tissues like mucous membranes in the eyes, nose and airways and skin.

Subacute effects, which include headaches, drowsiness, pain and inflammatory responses.

Chronic effects, caused by absorption or metabolism of VOC's.

Most people complain of eye, nose and throat irritation; headaches, loss of coordination and nausea.  Higher exposure can lead to liver damage, kidney and central nervous system irregularities.  Some VOC's can cause cancer.

Formaldehyde

Many governmental regulatory bodies recommend that exposure to formaldehyde be under 0.1 parts per million (ppm).  However, people who have already become sensitized to formaldehyde will have reactions as low as 0.02 ppm.  Formaldehyde sensitivity often relate the onset of their symptoms to a flu-like illness that does not go away. Other symptoms may include skin rashes, eye irritation, frequent sore throats, repeated sinus infection, nasal congestion, chronic cough, chest pains, digestive disorders, severe headaches, dizziness, loss of memory and disorientation.

Formaldehyde is an immune-system sensitizer, which means that chronic exposure can lead to multiple allergies and symptoms.

Radon Gas

A naturally occurring colorless, odorless gas that comes out of the ground, seeps into basements and moves upstairs.  It can be found in soils and rocks containing uranium, graphite, granite, shale, phosphate and pitchblende.

Radon decays into radioactive elements known as radon daughters.  Daughters float around in the air attached to dust particles.  When breathed in the particles find thei way into the bronchial air passages and stick to the surface.  There they stay to irritate the surrounding cells.

Radon is prevalent in all parts of the country.  Your house may not have it while the one next door might.  Fixing this is usually relatively inexpensive.  Good ventilation can also overcome this problem.

Health Effects

Radon is second only to smoking as a cause of lung cancer.  Breathing in 4 picoCuries/L (pCi/L) of radon is equated to smoking 1.5 packs of cigarettes per day.  The EPA has found that radon is responsible for 20,000 deaths per year in the US .  The effect of radon exposure is longer term.  It does not normally make people feel poorly on a day to day basis.

Dust / Particulate

Common house dust can have many allergens and toxins.  Pet dander, particle matter, mold, bacteria, dust mites, pesticides, etc all can hide in dust.

People with respiratory problems such as asthma as well as you children can develop many symptoms when exposed to house dust.  Keeping a clean house cleans up the dust but doesn't get at the source.

There are many sources for increased dust in the air.  Carpeting, furnishings, duct work, ineffective furnace filters, etc can contribute to an unhealthy level of aersolized dust particles.

Surprising Facts: 

• Vacuuming your home with the wrong vacuum cleaner may actually pollute your home even more.
• Getting your relative humidity under control inside your home can prevent the growth of dust mites, mold and bacteria.

Air Ions

The air around us is filled with electrically charged particles.  These invisible particles are generated in the billions by cosmic rays, radioactivity in the soil, ultraviolet radiation, storms, waterfall, wind and friction of airborne sand and dust.

These charged particles are called ions.  

As is the case with all matter, air is made up of molecules.  Each molecule has a nucleus of positively charged protons surrounded by negatively charged electrons.  Nature constantly seeks an equilibrium or balance so that there are as many electrons as there are protons so that the negative charges cancel out the positive.  This happens in a stable molecule of air.

Air ions are created when enough energy acts upon a molecule of air and an electron is ejected from the nucleus.  The displaced electron attaches to a nearby stable molecule which then becomes a negative ion.  The molecule that loses an electron becomes a positive ion.

Ions appear to have an affect on our moods, animals intuition about oncoming storms, and how ants know in advance that it's going to rain in time to block their tunnels.

Research in Russia (Minkh, Vasilyev), Israel (Sulman), Norway (Tjonn), England (Hawkins) and the United States (Alexander, Fisher, Kreuger) have successfully linked the existence of air ion depletion to detrimental biological and behavioural effects in humans.

Latest Ion research suggests that negative ions may fight infection.

Positive Ions

According to research, positive ions cause sleeplessness, irritability, tension, migraines, nausea, breathing difficulties, digestive problems, depression, fatigue, even suicide.   Positive ions slow down the delivery of oxygen, producing symptoms like anoxia or oxygen starvation.  They alter the functional state of the central nervous system, peripheral organs and affect the secretion of the neuro-hormone serotonin.

Negative Ions

Negative ions enhance our mood, stimulate our senses, improve appetite and sexual drive, provide relief from hay fever, sinusitis, bronchial asthma, allergies, migraines, even post operative pain and burns.  Negative ions stimulate the reticuloendothelial system which is a group of defense cells in our bodies which marshal our resistance to disease.  Negative ions promote alpha brain waves and increased brain wave amplitude which results in a higher awareness level.  The body is better able to absorb oxygen into the blood cells, oxidize serotonin and filter airborne contaminants.

Normal ion counts in fresh country air is 2,000-4,000 negative ions per cubic centimeter.  At a large water fall you might find over 100,000 negative ions.  Polluted air such as in large cities might have less than 100 ions.

You might have noticed that you feel more refreshed near the ocean, a waterfall or even taking a shower.  This is because all of these areas have a higher concentration of negative ions to positive ones.  The ocean typically has 2000 negative ions and 1000 positive.  The force or energy of the falling or splashing water causes splitting of neutral particles of air, freeing electrons which attach to other air molecules causing a negative charge.

Indoor air also has concentrations of positive and negative ions just like the air outside.  A well ventilated home will have similar concentrations of air ions as the outdoor air.  Normal outdoor air (unless you are at the ocean or in the country) will have slightly more positive ions compared to negative ions.  Indoor air can receive a higher negative ion count through simple things like showering or having a water source like an indoor fountain or a artificial negative ion generator.

The air can also become positively charged or have an abundance of positive ions through pollution and static electricity in your home.  Polluted air with a high particulate count of dust will become statically charged.  This static charge will attract the negative ions subsequently depleting or absorbing them.  The end result will be indoor air with a depleted supply of negative ions an an oversupply of positive ions.

Static can also come from synthetic building materials, synthetic carpets, synthetic furniture, synthetic fabrics and clothing, plastics, urethane finishes, as well as EMF's.  All of these synthetic materials and objects will greatly upset the normal ion balance.

Indoor air that has a higher concentration of positive ions can lead to Sick Building Syndrome or even symptoms usually associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder or the "winter blahs".  Studies suggest that air with a overall depleted ion count (positive and negative) or an abundance of positive ions and a lack of negative ions, does not promote a healthy environment and should be treated as polluted air.

Call us today for an indoor environmental assessment

Radioactive Building Materials

Naturally occurring radioactivity is found in greater quantity in some areas of the country.  We account for this by taking radiation readings both indoors and outdoors and calculating the percentage change.  Indoor readings are normally higher due to the unknowing use of radioactive building materials such as gypsum board, granite, slate and concrete products containing radioactive materials.

Artists have unknowingly used radioactive glazes.  Strange as it may seem, companies have been granted permission to make smoke detectors and compact (energy efficient) fluorescent lights using small amounts of potent radioactive waste.  Safe alternatives are available. 

Radioactivity has been found in many household items such as smoke detectors, jewellery and porcelain dinner plates.  Building materials such as marble can also be radioactive.

Radioactive products are hazardous waste and must be disposed of properly at a household hazardous waste facility.

Health Effects

A great deal of research exists detailing the numerous detrimental health effects of excess radiation exposure.  The form radio activity takes is that of high energy particles or rays.  This energy is released when the particle or ray strikes a living cell.  The energy can cause damage to the cell’s machinery.  Sometimes this damage is manifest as leukemia or other cancers.  The accepted practice is to limit exposure.  

Lead

Lead is a highly toxic material (even at low dosages) considered by Health Canada and the EPA as a major health threat.  Lead poisoning in children can lead to brain, kidney and peripheral nervous system damage as well as several behaviour problems.  Children and pets have a higher exposure risk due to their size.  Children and pets often eat lead paint chips because they taste sweet.

Lead poisoning can also affect pregnant women by reducing the baby's birth weight and causing premature birth.  It can also interfere with the formation of red blood cells, and can delay physical and mental development.

Lead can be found in older oil based paints, glazes on dinnerware, bullets, fishing sinkers, soldered cans, printing inks, plumbing fixtures, stained glass and cosmetics.  Lead was in gasoline for many years resulting in contamination of the soil and water.  This soil is tracked into the house and ends up in carpeting which is then disturbed from foot traffic stirring lead traces into the air.

2/3 of homes built before 1940, 1/3 of homes built from 1940 to 1960 and an unknown number built from 1960 to 1978 contain lead paint.  Lead in paint was banned in 1978. 

Lead paint was primarily used for interior trim and for exterior painting because of superior durability.  Lead paint becomes hazardous when it chips, peels, or is sanded or removed since it may then be inhaled or ingested. 

Window sashes painted with lead paint generate lead dust when the window moves up and down.  This lead dust becomes airborne where it can be inhaled leading to lead poisoning.  

Lead in pottery and dinnerware glazing is still prevalent. 

An indoor environmental assessment can show you how to improve the air quality of your home or office.