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Maintaining a Home
Your Home and Your Health |
How to Reduce Chemical Contaminants in Your Home
Our homes can contain many contaminants. Some come from living organisms and are grouped as biological contaminants. Examples are bacteria, viruses, dust mites, animal dander and molds. Other contaminants, which are not associated with living organisms, are classified as chemical contaminants.
Contaminants, whether biological or chemical, can be in the form of particles (e.g. dusts, fibers) or gases.
This document focuses on reducing your exposure to chemical contaminants in the home. Most people assume that contaminants can be removed by filtration. Typical residential furnace filters are intended for filtering particles, not gases. Gases can be filtered only by special filter media, such as activated charcoal or activated alumina. These filter media require special installation and, like furnace filters, must be replaced frequently. Filtration as a means of removing contaminants airborne throughout the house is inefficient. The most effective way to remove chemical contaminants, whether particles or gases, is to stop or capture them at the source before they are dispersed over a large area. This means getting rid of the sources, and when this is not possible, isolating or encapsulating them.
Some pollutants are easier to eliminate than others. Those that you bring into your home are easier to remove than those that originate from the materials used to build your house.
Effects on your health
The health effects of some chemicals, including many used in the workplace, are well known. Tolerable concentrations for shortterm exposure (up to one hour) and long-term exposure (eight hours) to these chemicals have been set by health agencies, such as the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) and provincial departments of labour. However, occupational exposure levels cannot be applied to homes, since concentration levels in the workplace are typically greater than those found in a home. Furthermore, populations affected in the home include more vulnerable individuals who may never leave the environment, in contrast to the normal eight hours per day for occupational exposure.
In 1987, Canada’s Federal – Provincial Advisory Committee on Environmental and Occupational Health published residential exposure guidelines for a number of substances, including formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulphur dioxide and radon.
The current document focuses on the reduction of exposure to chemical contaminants at home, but does not emphasize the measurement of pollutant concentrations. Since it is generally known that the health impact of a substance increases with the dose you are exposed to, reducing concentrations will make adverse health effects less likely.
Should the air in your home be tested for chemical contaminants?
For some chemicals, measurement of concentrations is recommended.
Carbon monoxide — do test
Immediate steps must be taken to protect occupants as soon as carbon monoxide is suspected in a home. Open a window or get out of the house. For a more long-term solution, you may want to install a sensor to monitor carbon monoxide levels. See Carbon Monoxide.
Radon — do test
Adverse health effects normally come from long-term exposure and do not reflect acute symptoms. However, a basement should be tested for radon if it is used as a living space, if there are cracks on the floor or if the area is known to have high radon levels. You can have someone do the radon test for you, or you can purchase a testing kit for use in your basement which you subsequently send to a laboratory for analysis. Measuring over a long period is more likely to give representative results than short-term measurements.
It is not recommended that homeowners test for other chemicals. While there are specific tests for gases like formaldehyde, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and sulphur dioxide, such tests are rarely needed.
Furthermore, a test for a particular chemical is limited to that contaminant alone. For example, a particular analytical method to sample the air for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may reveal gaseous contaminants, but it will not show if formaldehyde is present. VOC test results would list chemicals in the air originating from many sources. Though the chemical emissions from different materials continue to be a subject of research, the sources of the chemicals are difficult to determine without additional testing of the air in various locations or testing of different samples of materials in the house for comparison. So other than for research purposes, it is generally not recommended that homeowners have their houses tested for chemical contaminants.
Professional help
You may be interested in hiring a professional to investigate indoor air problems in your home. A trained IAQ investigator will not only determine whether the concern in your home is due to chemical contaminants or mold, but will also recommend solutions to correct the problems. Consult the Yellow Pages of your phone book under Indoor Air Quality, Consultants. Before you hire an investigator, ask about the person’s training or procedure he or she follows.
To find an individual who has been trained to conduct residential IAQ investigations using the CMHC investigation procedure, call CMHC at 1 800 668-2642. Please note that the individuals in the list maintained by CMHC are private consultants and they charge a fee for the service they provide.
A practical approach
The best way for you to reduce chemical contaminants in your home is to screen the substances you bring into your home and to select building materials carefully when you are building or renovating.
Take an inventory of the products and materials used in the home and avoid or minimize those known to have chemical emissions (also called off-gassing). First you must know what the product is made of and if it releases chemical emissions. Unfortunately, you can expect only a few products—such as glass, ceramic tile, metal, stone and other hard and inert materials — not to release any emissions. You will have to look at books, magazines or websites that provide reliable information about them, or consult individuals who have the training to understand the materials.
If you intend to use a product you know nothing about, you must first obtain a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for that product from the supplier or manufacturer. Many materials have MSDS that can be downloaded from the web. It will tell you whether the product has hazardous ingredients. You may need further help to find out what the names of the chemicals signify or the hazard involved. At the very least, the health effects from exposure during their application would tell you the nature of the product and the precautions to follow. If these precautions appear daunting, you may decide to use another product.
Unless you have an impaired sense of smell, you can often use it as a guide. But remember that while odour indicates the presence of emissions, the absence of odour does not rule out chemical contaminants. The concentration may be lower than you can detect. Furthermore, some pollutants (like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and radon) have no odour.
The recommendations provided here will help you control known chemical emissions, hazardous ingredients or odours from typical products found in the home. The most important sources of chemical emissions are products that you use frequently and in large quantities, building materials inside your house that are present in large amounts or have large surface areas and new materials you bring into your house. Emissions from new materials generally decrease with time. Some products, such as paints, varnishes and glues, release emissions in the beginning, but these decline over time to low or non-detectable levels. In addition, materials subjected to higher temperature (such as, a carpet over a heated floor) and high moisture levels (for example, particleboard furniture in a humid place) can be important sources of chemical emissions
Avoiding chemical contaminants in your home
Smoking (Cigarette smoke contains numerous chemical contaminants.)
Do not smoke indoors
Do not allow visitors to smoke in your home
Burning candles (By-products of combustion include carbon monoxide, VOCs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and soot.)
Do not burn candles, liquid fuel or incense in the home
Pesticide use (Pesticides may affect more than just the target pests.)
Use non-chemical pest control methods, such as baits, traps or fly swatters
To control cockroaches, refer to CMHC’s publication Farewell to Cockroaches
Get rid of spiders and clusters of insects by vacuuming
Seal likely entry points
Control moisture to discourage moisture-loving insects (such as sowbugs and silverfish)
Find other ways than pesticides to deal with fleas on your pets and insects in your houseplants
Avoid pesticides on your lawn or garden
Do not allow any fungicide or biocide (including natural oils touted to have antimicrobial properties) to be applied in the ducting system of your house
Cleaning and household chemicals
Select unscented and less toxic cleaning products (for example, unscented detergent instead of bleach to clean mold, and baking soda instead of ammonia-based cleaners to clean countertops)
Use detergent and water instead of disinfectants
Eliminate the need for deodorizers by taking the garbage out daily, managing kitchen waste and perishables
take out compostable materials regularly (composting also helps the environment by reducing the volume of garbage)
rinse packaging (wrappers for meat or fish) before throwing them into the garbage
freeze perishable wastes (meat, fish scraps) until garbage collection day
Avoid plug-in or aerosol deodorizers, or air fresheners; instead, deal with the causes of odours, including that of mold
Use unscented biodegradable detergents
Avoid perfumed fabric softeners which leave residual chemical odours on your clothes and bedding and pollutes the air outside your home when the clothes dryer is in use
Minimize the use of bleach — it gives off noxious fumes and is not environment friendly
Do not use mothballs; these release poisonous gases into the air in your home and leave persistent odours on your clothes and furnishings
Avoid the use of aerosol sprays of any kind inside the house
Learn about the hazardous ingredients in products before using them. Refer to How to Read a Material Safety Data Sheet
Do not allow soil repellent treatments to be applied on carpet or furnishings
Personal products
Use unscented soaps, shampoos, deodorants and lotions
Discontinue wearing perfume
Air dry-cleaned clothing in a sheltered place outside the house until you can no longer detect the odour of dry-cleaning solvents
Screen products that you bring into your house for odours
Activities in the home
Avoid tracking in dusts and contaminants by not wearing outdoor footwear inside the house
Use a dedicated exhaust fan for hobbies that generate fumes or particles
Avoid using solvent-based markers and craft materials indoors
Choose lead-free solders — these are available but may be hard to locate; ask your hardware, electronics or craft store to carry lead-free solder, if they don’t have it
Purchase only what you need to avoid having to store excess amounts of paints, solvents and hazardous chemicals inside the house
Turn on the range hood while cooking and use the bathroom exhaust fan to remove moisture and residual odours (fans are effective only if they are vented outside)
Ventilate the kitchen very well when you use the self-cleaning mode of the oven by using your range hood and opening windows
Deal with a chemical spill immediately by using a sponge, rag or absorbent material (e.g. kitty litter) and taking these outside right away. The MSDS of the material, if available, provides information on what to do when a spill occurs
Building-related
Fuel-related sources of contaminants
Your Home and Carbon Monoxide)
Keep your woodstove or fireplace from spilling gases and smoke into the house
Check that your chimney and vents are not blocked
Do not use unvented fuel-based appliances, such as kerosene space heaters
Monitor carbon monoxide (CO) levels in your home with a direct reading detector with memory capability
Use the range hood every time a gas stove is used, or switch to an electric stove
Do not store gas- or dieselpowered equipment (chain saws, lawnmowers) inside the house
Guard against spillage of fuel inside the house, for example a leaking oil tank or oil accidentally pumped into a disconnected pipe
Ensure that the wall between the house and the garage is airtight
Monitor CO infiltration from the attached garage — Airseal the door to the garage — Install an exhaust fan and run it for half an hour after driving your car into or out of the garage
Building materials and furnishings
When possible, select lowemission or low-odour building materials (refer to CMHC’s Building Materials for the Environmentally Hypersensitive)
Select water-based, low-odour adhesives, finishes and paints, and apply them only when you can ventilate the house
Test caulking for odours before using it — odours can be strong and persistent
Before purchasing new materials to bring into or install in the house, test them for odours.
To test carpets and other floor coverings, underpads, wood and plastic materials:
Get a small sample of the material
Place in a clean glass jar
Cover the jar and allow to sit in warm place, such as a sunny window
Open the jar and test for the presence or intensity of odours
Bear in mind that you are testing a small piece of sample. Expect a proportionate increase of the odour from much more material.
To test sealants, varnishes or paints:
Apply the finish onto a small piece of the substrate (drywall or wood)
Allow a reasonable length of time (a week) for the finish to cure
Continue testing in a glass jar as above
If the odour is still strong or noticeable, allow for a longer curing time or choose another finish.
When renovating, isolate the area to minimize exposure to dusts and chemicals
Carefully select materials used to cover areas surrounding heat sources, such as windowcoverings (sun), radiant floor or mantelpiece (fireplace)
Minimize the use of furniture made of particleboard, medium density fibreboard or hardwood plywood, which are potential sources of formaldehyde, especially in the bedroom
Control moisture in your home to reduce chemical emissions from composite wood products — keeping the house dry also prevents mold and dust mites
If you buy furniture made of composite wood, choose furniture that is sealed on all sides and edges
Seal the underside of particleboard counters in the kitchen with 6 mil polyethylene, securing edges with aluminum foil tape
Seal exposed edges and surfaces of furniture made with particleboard, medium density fibreboard or hardwood plywood with polyethylene and aluminum foil tape as above
Seal exposed cut edges of subfloor at the forced air vent openings with aluminum foil tape
Ensure that all air ducts are cleanable, metal ducts
Limit the amount of pine and cedar in the house, especially if members of the household have allergies — both contain natural aromatic resins that can be released into the air
Seal all exposed insulation with polyethylene
Do not cut pressure-treated wood indoors and do not burn it, even outdoors, to avoid releasing poisons into the air
There may be many more sources of chemical contaminants in the home. These are typically from activities or items you bring into the house. Some can be minor, but others can be serious. For instance, it might be several hours before the odour of nail polish disappears from inside a house, but days or weeks might be required to clean the disastrous effects of soot from even a small fire.
Occasionally, poor air quality can arise from things you don’t expect. Strong, unpleasant odours have sometimes been traced to overheated plastic sockets in receptacles for light bulbs. Make sure to never use a higher wattage than recommended. Some light fixtures may require a ceramic socket.
If you notice that the quality of the air in your house has deteriorated, examine what you have brought into the house recently. You can verify your suspicions by removing the substance, isolating it in another room or encapsulating it temporarily with polyethylene, then noting whether the quality of the air improves.
Ventilation
After you have reduced as many known sources of contaminants as possible, you can enhance the quality of the air with ventilation. This may mean airing out the house by briefly opening the windows or by installing a heat recovery ventilation system.
A properly installed and balanced Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) improves the indoor air quality of your house by providing outside air (typically less polluted than indoor air) and exhausting an equivalent amount of stale air from the house. This helps to control moisture and mold growth during the cold months of the year. Ventilation also reduces the concentration of airborne contaminants by dilution. Bear in mind, however, that ventilation is only a secondary strategy to removing the sources.
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