The best way to create a healthier space is to know exactly how to identify toxic materials inside your home. Because let’s be honest, there are toxic materials in EVERY home, and maybe they haven’t created an environment conducive to Sick Building Syndrome, but they are still impacting the health of your space.
And what we know about the health of our space is that the health of our body follows. You won’t be able to heal completely or have a body that can function at a high level when your body is surrounded by toxins or living in a home with sick building syndrome.
The environment around you has to be free from as many toxins as possible in order to support your body. Our bodies are able to naturally detoxify many toxins we come in contact with on our own. However, once we start becoming overburdened with toxins, the body no longer gets rid of toxins as quickly as it once did.
In fact, this recipe of a burdened down body and an increasing number of toxins within the space that we spend the most time in can wreak havoc on your health and wellness. And it’s because of this reason that so many family’s seek me out to help. And do I ever love stepping in to help change their environment to instead support their wellbeing.
And the best way to do that on a large scale is to know and be able to identify toxic materials around your home. This is going to help you not only know what is safe to bring into your home, but also what materials and products you need to remove from your home too.
Pair these ideas with my go to steps of improving indoor air quality, reducing humidity levels and getting rid of dust; and you’ll have a home that is incredibly healthy: the farthest thing from sick building syndrome.
MOST COMMON TOXINS IN THE HOME & THEIR HEALTH IMPACTS
The truth is there are more toxins in your home than ever before. But there are some big players in this space that are all throughout our home in multiple places that can impact our bodies in BIG ways.
VOCs: VOCs are everywhere, but generally, the indoor air has 2 to 5 times higher VOC than the outdoor air. VOCs come from many of our building materials around our home (think carpet, flooring, paints, stains, plywood, MDF, particle board, fragrances, upholstery and air fresheners). VOCs can impact the nervous system, increase risk of cancer, damage the kidneys and lungs as well as impact the respiratory system.
Phthalates: Did you know that 100% of house dust contains phthalates? We are exposed to this toxin through our cleaning products, upholstery, plastic food storage, plastic toys, vinyl flooring and shower curtains. Phthalates are a huge endocrine disruptor and have been shown to impact the development of kids including their attention habits, communication and IQ.
Formaldehyde: While formaldehyde is a VOC, it’s often in a category of its own due to the sheer volume that is found inside our home. It is used in SO many building materials from plywood to adhesives and countertops. It’s also present in air fresheners, bedding and upholstery. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen and has been linked to neurodevelopmental issues in the brain.
Chemical Flame Retardants: Toxins in our furniture, mattresses and building materials such as chemical flame retardants can have a huge impact on our bodies and the health of our space. Flame retardants have been linked to immune system suppression, endocrine disruption and are categorized as a carcinogen.
PFAS: PFAS, or forever chemicals are being found all over our homes and contributing greatly to sick building syndrome. They’re found not only in our dust around our homes but also in our drinking water, contributing to an even bigger issue. Recent studies suggest increased risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular problems, disruption to the gut biome and hormone disruption.
Synthetic Fragrance: Sick building syndrome is often caused by a slew of both organic toxins and chemical toxins. One toxin that we have SO much control over in our space is synthetic fragrance. These toxins that make up synthetic fragrance are often made from petroleum products, or crude oil. These toxins are made to last and don’t break down quickly or well. They’ve been linked to long term allergies and asthma, hormone disruption, nervous system disorder and an increased risk of cancer.
HOW TO IDENTIFY TOXIC MATERIALS INSIDE YOUR HOME
So how do you know if your home has some of these sick building syndrome components inside? There are some really practical ways you can start identifying toxic materials inside your home as you work to make it healthier.
Identify the Age: Knowing not only the age of your home but also the age of renovations and remodels is SO important. Toxins like lead are most often found in paint and pipes older than 1978. Asbestos was mostly used in older homes’ insulation, tiles and textured ceilings. The age of your home will determine what toxins are most likely. Newer homes are more likely to have high levels of formaldehyde due to the adhesives and amount of pressed wood. (This post is extremely helpful in determining what toxins are present based on the year your home was built).
Know the Signs of Lead and Asbestos Materials: If you DO live in an older home, do you know what lead paint can look like, or more importantly when it becomes dangerous to your health? Homes built prior to 1978 should be wary of peeling or chipping paint anywhere in the home. This can tell us that the potentially lead based paint can be entering our dust and exposing us to lead more often.
Lead pipes are another area to be well-versed. Lead is often dull gray in color. However, when it is scratched with something sharp, a shiny underneath is revealed.
Asbestos can be a bit trickier to find, but often tiles that are 9 x 9 in size are the culprits. You can also look for water lines that are insulated with white cast-like wraps; these are also often asbestos.
Hunt for Plywood & Particle Board: Let’s face it, we all have plywood in our homes. And while you may not be able to see the plywood exposed, know that it is most likely there in subflooring or roof sheathing, in cabinets or under countertops. There are some super simple ways you can seal in these toxins so that they won’t impact the health of your home with off gassing VOCs, which can contribute to sick building syndrome. Obviously the less plywood and particle board, the better for your home. More solid wood is going to be the preferred material for a healthy home.
Environmental Testing: A sure way to tell if there are elevated toxins inside your home is to do some environmental testing. This is the BEST way to diagnose your home in terms of healthiness and see if your home may have sick building syndrome.
Questionable materials that may contain lead or asbestos can easily be sent into a lab and confirmed if they do contain these toxins or not. Testing is one of the only accurate ways to determine IF materials are in fat made with lead or asbestos.
You can also test your space for increased levels of VOCs off gassing and formaldehyde off gassing. This is a test that anyone can do easily and simply in their own home. The test tube is plugged into an air pump and the tube collects a sample of air. From there a lab analyzes the data and sends you a report of what your levels inside are and if they’re healthy.
AVOID SICK BUILDING SYNDROME BY CHOOSING HEALTHY MATERIALS & PRODUCTS
Once you’ve identified areas that can be contributing to sick building syndrome, it’s time to start shifting your products and materials to be healthier. Here are some ways you can make sure you’re bringing in the BEST materials and products to avoid contributing to an unhealthy space.
Start with Trusted Suppliers: One of the best ways to start out looking for materials is to find a trusted supplier. I love The Green Design Center to give me a head start when looking for building materials that are safe, tested and as free from toxins as possible.
You can find anything from flooring to adhesives and paint all in one place, all toxin free for safe consumer use.
Read the Safety Data Sheet: Whenever you are looking to purchase something for your home, see if the product either has a totally transparent ingredient list, or look for a Safety Data Sheet (SDS). This will give you a list of materials and ingredients used in the product. It will also give you any health and safety warnings as well as third party certifications. It’s an EXCELLENT place to start when you’re on the hunt for toxin free billing materials for your home.
Know What Ingredients & Materials to Avoid: Be well versed in materials that you should be avoiding in your home. Or at least materials that may need to be investigated more before you allow them inside. There are so many topics like this right on my blog and all throughout the internet. Become knowledgeable by doing a little research beforehand. It’s okay to google questions about a material being safe and then sifting through the research that comes up.
Use the Healthy Building Material Download: A GREAT place to start with any project in your home is with my Toxin Free Building Material Workbook. This will give you an excellent starting place (and in some cases everything you need) for a home project in one place. I have linked safe options for paint, adhesives, flooring, faucets, bathtubs, tile, countertops and more. I’ve researched all of these options and given you advice on what materials to avoid as well as the best materials to look for. It’s a MUST HAVE for any homeowner.
HEAL YOUR HOME FROM SICK BUILDING SYNDROME WITH THESE PROJECTS
Once you’re ready to move forward and start repairing your home and healing it from sick building syndrome, these are some of the best places to start to make big changes:
Replace Flooring: Flooring takes up so much surface area and can have the worst toxins present within the product. This means it’s an excellent place to reduce toxins in a big way. You can find toxin free options for carpet, rugs and luxury planks to help you get toxins out and bring new, toxin free flooring inside.
Replace Countertops: Countertops are another big area we can improve in our homes when it comes to healing it from sick building syndrome. Countertops can not only contain a lot of toxic adhesives, but they can also have toxic radon emitting from the granite as well. Opt for a healthy countertop material like quartz or limestone to reduce potential exposure to formaldehyde, radon or other toxins in your space. (This post will give you a full list of the healthiest countertop options for your home).
Add a Water Filter: While often one of the last items on the list of home improvements, adding a water filter can help you create a healthier home in HUGE ways. Anything we consume should be moved to the top of the list when it comes to creating a healthy home. PFAs are extremely present in our drinking water along with other toxins like microplastics, heavy metals and even pesticides. I love the Cloud Water Filter to remove toxins but then also add back in the minerals my body needs.
Add an Air Exchanger: The reason homes now are being diagnosed with sick building syndrome more and more is because the air inside our homes has no place to escape. And in the same breath, we aren’t bringing in any new air from outside to dilute the toxin-filled air inside. You can use natural ventilation throughout your home, but one way to improve the indoor air is by adding an air exchanger to your HVAC system. This system bring in outdoor air, runs it through a filter and then sends it into your HVAC system venting. It then pulls air out of your vents after it circulates and pushes it outside, essentially exchanging the air. Through this process it will reduce the toxins inside your home constantly.
Exterior Improvements to Reduce Humidity Levels Inside: Outdoor projects like adding gutters, sealing any gaps or cracks in siding or exterior components and improving the grading around the home will help you reduce humidity levels inside drastically. Indoor humidity levels that are higher than 40% can create sick building syndrome through mold growth and through toxic like VOCs increasing in off gassing. (this post will walk you through just how to keep the perfect humidity levels at home)
Seal in VOCs: Finally, you can seal in any VOCs off gassing from plywood or particle board around your home. Using a VOC blocker like AFM Safecoat will help stop VOCs from escaping into your indoor air and keep them beneath the painted on VOC blocker. This post will help you figure out how to use this product and how to apply it in your own home. AFM Safecoat Safe Seal can be used on any unfinished surface that does not get touched or handled frequently.
There are so many ways we can inadvertently let our homes become an unhealthy space and even end up with sick building syndrome. But by using a few of these ideas or planning to make some of these changes in the future, you can drastically improve the health of your space inside.
