Healthy House
J Wootton
Improving Household Air Quality could Dramatically Reduce Childhood
Asthma
http://www.womenshealthmatters.ca/facts/quick_show_d.cfm?number=112
Environmental Health
Healthy Houses – Tips
We spend over 90 percent of our time indoors. It is therefore vital
for us to set up and maintain a healthy home environment. Here are
some ideas of what you can do in your home.
In General:
No smoking anywhere in the house.
If possible, buy solid wood furniture. Furniture made from other
materials may contain benzene, xylene or formaldehyde.
Use biodegradable cleaning agents such as baking soda, vinegar, borax
and pure soap.
Try to avoid pets, as they collect dust in their fur and shed dander.
If you have pets, ensure that you groom them frequently and keep them
out of the bedroom and off upholstered furniture.
Vacuum at least weekly.
Maintain a humidity level of 30 to 50 percent. If you have a
humidifier, clean it every one or two days to avoid excess humidity,
which can lead to mould.
If possible, avoid carpeting. New carpets can give off a gas of
irritating compounds. Any carpet can collect dust mites, dander and
mould.
Minimize dust, another common allergen. Dust weekly with a damp cloth
and minimize items that collect dust such as books, papers, drapes and
plush toys.
The Bedroom:
Mattress, pillows and comforters should be covered with dust
mite-proof envelopes.
Limit or avoid items that are made from wool or feathers, for example,
down duvets and pillows.
Launder bedding routinely using hot water.
Use linoleum or wood as an alternative to carpets.
Consider HEPA (high efficiency particulate arresting) filters in air
cleaners.
The Basement
Avoid carpeting.
Check for damp walls or ceilings, white powdery stains on the floor,
or other discolorations that may indicate mould. Note the smell of
your basement. Musty smells may indicate mould growth.
Maintain your water heater and furnace – these can release carbon
monoxide and nitrogen dioxide that can cause dizziness, headaches and
difficulty breathing.
Look for cracks in the foundation where radon gas might leak into your
house.
Hobbies such as painting, woodworking etc. should be performed
outdoors where there is ample air circulation to avoid inhaling
chemical compounds and dust.
For More on this Topic
For more information on keeping your home healthy, an excellent
resource is the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation's The Clear
Air Guide, published in 1998. You can also check out the Lung
Association of Canada's CAN DO site (Clean Air Now).
Written by Shein Poonja, Occupational Therapist. Sunnybrook and
Women's Environmental Health Clinic is one of only two in Canada
designed to assess people with Environmental Sensitivities, Chronic
Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. Added April 2000.
PS Apparently radon gas is not a problem in all areas. (Toronto
apparently does have problems)
PC Gameplayer
> http://www.womenshealthmatters.ca/news/news_show.cfm?number=103
> Improving Household Air Quality could Dramatically Reduce Childhood
> Asthma
<snip>
And don't light candles in the house! My wife loves 'em, I just ask
her not to light them often. Particulates from candle smoke have been
found to exceed EPA recommendations by a lot. And my personal
experience backs it up...it's harder to breathe after a night of lit
candles.
>
> Hobbies such as painting, woodworking etc. should be performed
> outdoors where there is ample air circulation to avoid inhaling
> chemical compounds and dust.
Check the rec.woodworking NG...there have been some good threads
lately on dusk masks/filters of various types. There's a guy on the
NG named Mike Zuchick. Mike's a darned good guy, and suffers from
COPD, so has a vested interest in the subject.
HTH.
Jim Jones
jt...@hotmail.com
Thomas Mueller
> http://www.womenshealthmatters.ca/news/news_show.cfm?number=103
> Improving Household Air Quality could Dramatically Reduce Childhood
> Asthma
from jt...@hotmail.com (PC Gameplayer):
>And don't light candles in the house! My wife loves 'em, I just ask
>her not to light them often. Particulates from candle smoke have been
>found to exceed EPA recommendations by a lot. And my personal
>experience backs it up...it's harder to breathe after a night of lit
>candles.
Let me add incense to the list of don'ts! That can be inimical to good
breathing, far worse than candles. I remember being in an office shortly after
Christmas 1996 where there was incense burning. I noticed mild breathing
difficulty but recovered within a minute after getting back outdoors, no
medication, apparently no aftereffects, not too cold outdoors (42 F, between
5 and 6 C).
J Wootton:
> Use linoleum or wood as an alternative to carpets.
Can you still buy linoleum today? I thought linoleum was superseded by vinyl.
J Wootton
> Excerpt from J Wootton:
>
> > http://www.womenshealthmatters.ca/news/news_show.cfm?number=103
> > Improving Household Air Quality could Dramatically Reduce Childhood
> > Asthma
>
> from jt...@hotmail.com (PC Gameplayer):
<snipped about incense and candles. I agree>
> > Use linoleum or wood as an alternative to carpets.
>
> Can you still buy linoleum today? I thought linoleum was superseded by vinyl.
Ran a 'net search. Still available. "more expensive, has to be imported"
apparently.
http://ct.essortment.com/whatislinoleum_rslw.htm
The "health matters" article said "4.Use linoleum or wood as an alternative to
carpets."
I think in that case, they're using the phrase "loosely meaning anything but
carpets", since carpets collect dust/dust mites, and other (like allergens tracked
indoors on one's shoes). Since the average person doesn't have the finances to
have their carpets steam-cleaned more than a few times a year, "bare" flooring is
usually easier to maintain.
That's been my experience. I've not had to take allergy/sinus meds since I got all
carpets out of my life, 15? years ago or so.
(there were other changes that I made over the years).
HTH
J
Pythoness
Thomas Mueller wrote:
>
[snip]
> Let me add incense to the list of don'ts! That can be inimical to good
> breathing, far worse than candles. I remember being in an office shortly after
> Christmas 1996 where there was incense burning. I noticed mild breathing
> difficulty but recovered within a minute after getting back outdoors, no
> medication, apparently no aftereffects, not too cold outdoors (42 F, between
> 5 and 6 C).
I live in a very progressive area where a lot of people strive very hard
to be politically correct.
The really funny thing is, I've had to leave any number of functions
because they're burning damned incense. These are people who would
never *dream* of lighting a cigarette (it's illegal even to smoke in
bars in my town) in a group of people indoors, and would flay and
possibly lynch anyone who did so--yet they think nothing of lighting a
handful of incense sticks, and look confused when someone complains!
I've had people argue with me when I politely asked if the incense could
be dispensed with--the best comment was, "We've had some other people
here who *thought* they were allergic to incense. If you just relax
you'll be fine."
For some reason a lot of people really don't seem to understand that
smoke is smoke, whether it's tobacco, marajuana, or incense--I'm
allergic to all of them, though obviously they're made up of different
chemicals which may have different effects.
Harumph,
zg
Ted Edwards
> For some reason a lot of people really don't seem to understand that
> smoke is smoke, whether it's tobacco, marajuana, or incense--I'm
> allergic to all of them, though obviously they're made up of different
> chemicals which may have different effects.
Not just smoke! Smoking is no longer PC but it seems perfume is ok.
Ask my son. Ciggarettes don't bother him much but most perfumes bring
on an immediate snot storm.
Ted
Joyce Reynolds-Ward
wrote:
snip
>The really funny thing is, I've had to leave any number of functions
>because they're burning damned incense. These are people who would
>never *dream* of lighting a cigarette (it's illegal even to smoke in
>bars in my town) in a group of people indoors, and would flay and
>possibly lynch anyone who did so--yet they think nothing of lighting a
>handful of incense sticks, and look confused when someone complains!
Amen! I had to deal with one PC sort who was majorly into
aromatherapy and just couldn't deal with the concept that *fragrance*
could be an asthma trigger.
>I've had people argue with me when I politely asked if the incense could
>be dispensed with--the best comment was, "We've had some other people
>here who *thought* they were allergic to incense. If you just relax
>you'll be fine."
Yep. After all, aromatherapy is *good*, riiight? That means if it
chokes you up, the problem is in *your mind*, not your lungs and
immune system, riight?
BTDT. It's part and parcel with the concept certain folks have that
it's "all in your mind."
>For some reason a lot of people really don't seem to understand that
>smoke is smoke, whether it's tobacco, marajuana, or incense--I'm
>allergic to all of them, though obviously they're made up of different
>chemicals which may have different effects.
Yeppers.
jrw
Joyce Reynolds-Ward
wrote:
snip
>Ditto air fresheners, carpet fresheners, fragranced soaps etc. Some of
>these give me an immediate migraine as well as the breathing and
>allergy problems.
Try explaining "unscented" versus "fragrance free" to some folks.
It's about as bad as telling someone "I have a wheat allergy" and
getting the response back "Well, what we have is white bread, not
wheat." Um...guess what, folks? White flour comes from *wheat*!
jrw
webmaster
"Joyce Reynolds-Ward" wrote
> I had to deal with one PC sort who was majorly into
> aromatherapy and just couldn't deal with the concept that *fragrance*
> could be an asthma trigger.
>
> Yep. After all, aromatherapy is *good*, riiight? That means if it
> chokes you up, the problem is in *your mind*, not your lungs and
> immune system, riight?
Some well meaning friend suggested aromatherapy to me, it took me some time
to explain that the *fragrance* of these oils are detrimental to my health,
even then I don't think she believed me!
One of my daughters, burns incense sticks and candles at her home, which,
apparently some folk enjoy, but I have to ask her to take them out when I go
to see her.
The whole concept of sensitivity is undermined by the lack of understanding
of well meaning people, who, some cannot be convinced that some substances
really are harmful to some peoples health.
Oh, to go back to my childhood days, when I could cope with just about
anything, the whole world now is becoming a polluted minefield for people
like us, who have to tread very carefully, and to be careful how we explain
to some people that we cannot cope with many of modern day pollutants and
*fragrances*.
--
Regards,
Peter
www.speakingout.org.uk
www.hull-me.co.uk
If you're disillusioned, its coz you have to many illusions anyway!
Ted Edwards
> The whole concept of sensitivity is undermined by the lack of understanding
> of well meaning people, who, some cannot be convinced that some substances
> really are harmful to some peoples health.
I have a cousin who is allergic to fish and nuts. He had an aunt who
firmly believed it was all in his head. One time, at a family dinner,
she prepared a dish which contained one or the other (I forget which)
and served it without indicating the contents. He threw up on her
_very_ fancy lace table cloth after only a couple bites. It wasn't
deliberate, it just happened too fast for him. I can't feel the least
bit sorry for her.
Ted
Thomas Mueller
> The whole concept of sensitivity is undermined by the lack of understanding
> of well meaning people, who, some cannot be convinced that some substances
> really are harmful to some peoples health.
and Ted Edwards responded:
>I have a cousin who is allergic to fish and nuts. He had an aunt who
>firmly believed it was all in his head. One time, at a family dinner,
>she prepared a dish which contained one or the other (I forget which)
>and served it without indicating the contents. He threw up on her
>_very_ fancy lace table cloth after only a couple bites. It wasn't
>deliberate, it just happened too fast for him. I can't feel the least
>bit sorry for her.
Too bad that aunt didn't frequent alt.support.food-allergies and
alt.med.allergy . Allergies to fish, shellfish, nuts including peanuts can be
deadly.
alexho...@gmail.com
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odonn...@gmail.com
My name is Tom O'Donnell and I am the 38 year old proud son of the best mother anyone could ask for. She has given up her entire life to help myself and my brother but now it is time she starts her life. She suffers with MCS and has not traveled far in decades. I am emailing you to see if you would know of anyone or anyplace that she can just "get away" for a week or two safely (fragrance free) in the New England area. She lives in Connecticut and the fresh air off the coastline is what keeps her going. She would love to have a place to retreat to for her own soul repairing time. Someplace that is drivable in case it is not as fragrance free as suggested, say Rhode Island-Massachusets-Maine, etc....
We are desperate to find a safe haven that she can build her strength up.
Please contact me with any news or help you can offer. It is very much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Tom O'Donnell