I'm reading a book called "Healthy by Design" which is full
of interesting comments about how a healthy environment
is created. My personal views differ from the book in
some areas so consider the following a marginal attempt
to summarize and be objective.
What is a Healthy Home?
A healthy home is one that restores the purity
of nature and avoids the disadvantages of being
close to nature. Most of the modern toxins
present in building materials, products, water
supplies, and the air are eliminated.
How bad is the average house?
Real bad! Most of the toxic substances are not
detectable by our senses because they are new
and we have not evolved any need to recognize
them. The effects are usually long term and
difficult to connect back to the source. A few
people are sensitive and can spot some of problems.
How can we organize our thinking and fix our homes?
The three major areas of concern are:
1. What is best for human health?
2. What is resource efficient (materials)?
3. What is energy efficient?
At this point the book goes into a discussion of design
and how to address the above criteria. Ventilation and
moisture are talked about along with material selection.
There is too much material to summarize. Some of the
specific recommendations are:
*Avoid particle board and most plywood (glue).
* Look for paints meeting California and New Jersey
air quality standards.
* Use prefinished materials.
* Avoid all soft plastics.
* Avoid soft coverings and furniture. This includes
carpets.
* Insulate with loose cellulose fiber or fiber glass.
* Wood, ceramic, or stone floors are best.
* Avoid plastic bath fixtures
* Use copper pipe or polyethylene pipe for plumbing.
* Sealed combustion heaters for water.
* Air, water, filters.
How about keeping a house clean?
* Baking soda
* Unscented soaps
* vinegar
* borax
* hydrogen peroxide
* sodium carbonate
What products and appliances should be avoided?
* photocopiers produce ozone and dust.
* aerosol air fresheners are ineffective and many pollute.
* all combustion devices which are not sealed and vented.
* woodstoves are polluters.
What are the symptoms of a toxic house?
The most common symptoms are allergies. Next, comes
frequent headaches, followed by a long list of minor
complaints.
How about older houses?
Newer building materials out gas far more than older materials.
The problem with older houses are in things like lead paint. The
paint is ok if we can seal it off. Usually, it is the remolding
process that exposes heavy concentrations of toxics in older
houses.
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OK, that is a sampling of the book. My questions would be:
Does this design process create a world of fragile people who
survive only by staying in sealed environments. Is this a
sustainable approach and does it separate us from nature?
In polluted areas will this create an inequality where
the poor die off quickly and the rich are not motivated
to find global solutions? (I've got mine, the rest of
the world just needs to get rich and buy it).
My bias is that this book puts too much emphasis on the perfect
environment for people and needs a slight shift towards
earth friendly. If we always put the health of people first
we will eventually destroy ourself by short sighted thinking.
Anyway, the book "Healthy by design" is a great book and worth
reading.
jeff
