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How to Cure a Sick Home
| Article
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16310 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
3 / 1989 |
2,285 Words |
| Author
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Carolyn Hughes Crowley
Carolyn Hughes Crowley is a Washington, D.C. free-lancer who
frequently writes on health topics. |
Home, sweet home--our retreat from the world. But hold it right there! Don't cross that threshold. Untold damages may await you in the comfort of your home: Pollutants and allergens from cigarettes, building materials, household cleaning supplies, bacteria, mold and mildew, viruses, cockroaches, and pollen; fibers like asbestos; radioactive gases like radon; volatile organic compounds like formaldehyde; and respirable particles from fireplaces.
And the depressing thought is that there's no way out. "There's no way we can be without contaminants," says Eileen Claussen, deputy assistant administrator for air and radiation for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Because most of us spend much of our time indoors, high levels of indoor air pollutants can present serious health concerns. The EPA, for example, estimates indoor air pollution causes as many as six thousand cancer deaths a year.
"People get hysterical at the thought of hazardous waste sites," says Dr. John Spengler, a professor of environmental health at Harvard University's School of Public Health. "But studies show that your risk of getting cancer from exposure to chemicals in water, paint stripper, and other solvents found in your home is greater than your risk from exposure to the same chemicals in a hazardous waste site. And these findings don't just apply to extremely polluted houses."
Lead
The American Academy of Pediatrics regards lead as the most serious toxicological danger to children, more threatening than asbestos in schools and passive smoke inhalation. Children between nine months and six years are most vulnerable to lead poisoning because their bodies are small and their nervous systems are still developing.
Even low levels of lead can cause long-term behavioral and learning problems. At higher levels, lead impairs blood formation and metabolism; the nerves' ability to carry messages can be damaged, harming the senses of touch and hearing. Anemia may also appear. Severe poisoning injures the kidneys and brain, which can bring irreversible retardation, convulsions, and even death.
Traces of lead are in our food, water, and air. According to Dr. Martin Levy, administrator of the Preventive Health Services Administration, the main source of lead poisoning is
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