Is Your Home Making You Sick?

NEW YORK (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- You may have heard of toxic mold and sick building syndrome. Could your home also make you sick?
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates indoor air quality is two- to five-times more polluted than the air we breathe outside.
"Living in a home that is polluted with mold can cause all sorts of respiratory problems," Neil Schachter, M.D., tells Ivanhoe. That's a great concern to homeowner Scott Lerman, who has a 4-year-old child.
"We want to make sure that our house is as healthy as it can be so that my son can be as healthy as he can be," says Lerman, who agreed to let Dr. Schachter, a lung specialist from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, inspect his home.
During the inspection, Dr. Schachter found water damage was causing mold to grow in Lerman's shower. He advises the Lermans and anyone with a similar problem to clean moldy showers with chlorinated wipes and avoid spraying any chemicals that might irritate the lungs.
Because dust can also cause respiratory problems like allergies and asthma, Dr. Schachter recommends putting clean area rugs over dusty carpets and getting rid of dust ruffles. He also says not to store items beneath the bed and to be aware that clutter stored in the basement can collect dust. Pollutants can also come from outside, so to keep them out, Dr. Schachter suggests installing a window filter.
"You assume your house is healthy until you get someone to point these things out," says Lerman, who is now committed to eliminating more than just dust in an effort to keep his family healthy.

Indoor Forensics Debut

I'm sure by now that most people are aware that the average American spends nearly 90% of their lives indoors. I'm also sure that you have been bombarded by the media with talk concerning indoor molds, sick building syndrome, allergens, VOCs, lead, etc. I hope to post some interesting facts about indoor air in relation to many of these problems, but instead of the "crazy killer mold", I will take a scientific approach and provide meaningful information to help people take a proactive approach towards ensuring that the air they breath indoors is healthy.

Most home and property owners aren't aware that they can do a lot own their own to minimize the risk associated with indoor air contaminates. These are the types of things I will focus on. I like to do things myself rather than call an inspector who will most likely tell me I have a problem, but leaves me with no solution. I'm not being cheap, I am in the business and know that while there are many good inspectors out there, there are many more who should not ever be allowed in someones home. We homeowners need to take care of our houses as if they are extensions of our bodies. After all, they makeup our environment. A sick house stricken with water leaks, and afflicted with chemicals from particle board, and various household chemicals can and do make people ill. They often aren't aware of it, and will spend a lot of money at the local doctor's office, when all they had to do was clean out their gutters 3-4 times per year.

I will try to do my best get get some good info out to you and hope you will respond with questions and comments that make this blog a great place for educating the public towards a healthy indoor environment.