Ways Our Homes Make Us Sick – and What to Do About It
If you worry your home is making you sick, you might be onto something. Our homes can secretly contain chemicals, toxins, pathogens, and microbes that can’t be seen with the human eye. However, when these toxic dangers are present in your home in large enough quantities, they can wreak havoc on your family’s health. So here are some tips to keep your family safe, courtesy of RTK Environmental Group.
Ways Your Home Might Be Making You Sick
First, we need to cover the basics. Illness due to exposure to household triggers is so common that there are even specific terms for it, such as “sick building syndrome.” Sick building syndrome describes an illness which seems to be linked to time spent in a particular building, especially when no other underlying cause of the illness can be determined.
Although we typically associate sick building syndrome with the workplace, it can apply to our homes as well. Recent studies have named it a health hazard because it is occurring with increased frequency.
Similar to sick building syndrome, “building related illnesses” include diagnosable symptoms that can be directly traced back to a specific culprit within the building. This might include airborne contaminants such as mold, formaldehyde, asbestos, pollutants, allergens, or potentially cancer-causing chemicals and toxins. If you suspect that you will be exposed to any of these irritants, ensure that you wear a protective mask. This is doubly important if you plan to be cleaning up any of these harmful products, as interacting with them can cause them to become airborne.
Toxic mold is one of the most common airborne contaminants linked to building related illnesses. Mold spores produce mycotoxins which, if inhaled, may cause physical symptoms ranging from allergies and asthma to pulmonary hemorrhage or memory loss. People with compromised immune systems are also susceptible to systemic mold infections.
Here’s What You Can Do About It
Some easy home repairs reduce illnesses by removing black mold, toxins, chemicals, allergens, or pollutants from your home. You could also hire a trained professional to check your indoor ventilation for adequate air flow, or to test the air in your home for factors such as black mold or cancer-causing chemicals. Afterwards, make any home repairs as needed.
If you’re worried about paying for home repairs, refinancing your home could give you an injection of cash that you can use for home improvement projects. Before refinancing, research the cost to refinance, lenders, and loan types.
Additionally, keep your home clean and dry to reduce dust, mold, and other natural allergens. Frequently wash your sheets and pillowcases to remove contaminants. Don’t allow friends or relatives to smoke inside your home. Purchase a high-quality vacuum with a HEPA filter. Another tip is to leave your shoes at the door, which reduces the toxins, allergens, and pollutants you’ll track into your home.
A Green Home is a Healthy Home
Even if you aren’t experiencing symptoms, there are several other ways to take your health into your own hands. For instance, you might purchase an air purifier to remove contaminants from the air you breathe in your home. You could also invest in an at-home water filtration system to ensure your water is clean and purified.
Read labels before purchasing products, and try to opt for chemical-free, toxin-free household items, including cleaning products. During trips to the grocery store, opt for organic, GMO-free, “green” and all natural products whenever possible.
Products or Building Materials to Avoid
Whether you’re searching for a new home or making some renovations, you should avoid potentially harmful products or building materials. These include (but are not limited to) chemical sealants, harmful plastics, and insulation fibers that have been linked to cancer.
The illnesses caused by sick building syndrome often make us sicker over time. Unfortunately, many people are living with chronic illnesses that aren’t properly treated because they don’t realize their home could be the underlying cause for their illness.
Sometimes, all it takes is a few simple household adjustments to completely eliminate symptoms. By taking proactive action before you start experiencing symptoms, and by following the tips listed above whether you are sick or not, you can make your home cleaner and greener. A few simple product switches and lifestyle adjustments can go a long way in keeping your family home safe, healthy, and happy for years to come.
For your commercial or residential environmental testing needs, contact RTK Environmental Group today!
Believe it or not, there are usually VOCs in new clothes, especially those wrapped in plastic like men’s shirts and socks. Textiles are not regulated for VOCs, so anything that is wrinkle free, permanent press, or crease resistant generally contains formaldehyde. Many clothing dyes even contain VOCs. Luckily, it is usually as easy as running it through the wash a few times to rinse out those chemicals.
Dry cleaning can cause a more serious threat to your health and the environment. Most dry-cleaning processes use the dangerous chemical tetrachloroethylene, which is widely used as a scouring solvent that removes oils from fabrics, as a carrier solvent, as a fabric finish or water repellent. Exposure to tetrachloroethylene can cause a host of health issues, including irritation to the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and respiratory system. It has also been shown to cause liver damage and is a potential occupational carcinogen.
Common Symptoms of VOC Exposure Include:
Problem is, VOCs are found in thousands of different household and office products, from electronics to paint to carpeting to furniture, and are off-gassed over time. That means your home’s indoor air quality is likely to become polluted. Now, especially during flu season and the coronavirus pandemic, when these diseases affect the lungs even more, we need to be extra vigilant about keeping indoor air as clean as possible. Otherwise, the impact of VOCs on your health can be pretty steep.
One of the biggest sources of formaldehyde, in particular, are new building materials, according to an article in the 
Open your windows – even for just a few minutes a day – to circulate fresh air.
that’s likely because you’re used to it. Your guests will notice right away, and if they have allergies, sit them as far away from the turkey as possible, get them a box of tissues, and watch out for the sneezing that will ensue! A musty odor means that your home may have a 
You’ve cleaned, touched up the paint, put in new air fresheners, and even replaced that old rug in the living room with brand new carpeting. You may think all these steps make for a healthier home, but each of these ordinary activities can actually cause poor indoor air quality. Dangerous VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, are released into the air from many man-made materials, like detergents, furniture, cleaning products, and candles can cause headaches, fatigue, and other health issues. Studies have shown that indoor air can be up to 100 times more polluted than outdoor air. It’s no wonder we tend to be sicker in the wintertime, when we’re sealed up indoors. Mold is also a major cause of poor indoor air quality. An 
This is a given, especially around Thanksgiving. Not only will a properly functioning 
A frozen pipe that bursts during your festive dinner can be a disaster! To 
With winter in full swing, we tend to focus on conserving heat in our homes and tightly latch storm windows, secure the doors from drafts, and check the attic insulation. But we should be thinking about keeping our homes healthy as well. Unfortunately, many homes, especially newer ones, are built so airtight that they cannot breathe – literally! So, a warm and cozy house becomes a “sick home”.
Inadequate ventilation is a top cause of sick home syndrome. The newer “air-tight” homes are sealed so well that hardly any fresh air enters. Moisture builds up but can’t escape and that makes a perfect breeding ground for mold. Without fresh air circulating through your rooms, indoor pollutants including chemicals from paint or rugs, mold, radon, and other airborne particles, have nowhere to escape.
Mold grows on water-damaged materials and can cause allergies. To prevent it:
Lead paint was used in homes built before 1978, after which it was banned. But many people merely covered the old paint with new. So, when sanding during renovation work or opening or closing windows, the dust may contain lead. Lead dust and paint chips can cause lead poisoning, which is especially dangerous for children. Lead poisoning has been linked to a host of issues, including autism-like symptoms and ADHD. If you have an older house, get it tested for lead before you close up your house this winter.
VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, are toxic vapors that are off-gassed from man-made materials and everyday household items. When homes are closed and air-tight during the winter, VOCs tend to build up in the air, causing poor indoor air quality. This can cause headaches, dizziness, coughing, and other issues. Try to limit use of and exposure to cleaning and disinfecting chemicals, candles, new furniture, carpeting or flooring, non-VOC paint, air fresheners, and 
Don’t assume your pediatrician tests your child for lead.
Watch for symptoms of lead poisoning.
Mold
You may consider replacing plumbing fixtures to avoid some molds, but remember to check other damp spaces, like around your HVAC or air conditioning unit, areas near your windows and roofs, along with the attic and basement.
Believe it or not, lead-based paint can still be found in about 80% of homes today. Because of this, 