Here are some interesting facts about air quality and health. Feel free to call if you have any questions or want a free inspection.
- According to the Canadian Institute of Child Health, children are exposed daily to a toxic soup of chemicals in their water, air and food, and that exposure may explain the dramatic rise in childhood cancers, asthma, sudden infant death syndrome and behavioural problems.
- Parents who keep a spotless house may be triggering an asthma attack according to Australian researchers. Toddlers exposed to fumes from solvents and cleaning products at home are most at risk. Polishes, room fresheners and new carpets were some of the triggers. Children exposed to the highest levels of volatile organic compounds were 4 times more likely to have asthma.
- Today there are about 72,000 synthetic chemicals being produced. An average home stores about 62,000 chemicals – most of them in the kitchen and bathroom.
- Chemicals get into our body through inhalation, ingestion and absorption. According to American Lung Association, we breathe in the vapors, airborne volatile organic compounds or VOC’s. Some products release contaminants into the air right away; others do so gradually over a long period of time. Some stay in the air up to a year. Chemicals can evaporate right through a container that isn’t properly sealed.
- Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp (CMHC) reports that houses are sealed so tight for energy efficiency that they cannot offgass chemicals. The chemicals have no where to go, so they build up within the home.
- An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study stated that the toxic chemicals in household cleaners are 3 times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air. The EPA also conducted a 15 year study that showed American homes have chemical levels 70 times higher than outside.
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are off-gassed from new furniture, often lacquered with formaldehyde, particleboard paneling or shelving, stuffed furniture (often coated with a stain treatment) and even carpeting. VOCs are emitted from air fresheners, bleach products, household cleaning products, deodorizers, dishwashing detergents, disinfectants, dry cleaned clothing, fabric softeners, laundry detergents, furniture polishes, metal polishes, oven cleaners, glues, paints, solvents, mineral deposit removers, pesticides, garden chemicals, personal care products and more.
