What You Wear, Sleep on, Sit on, or Build, Clean or Paint Your House With is Important to Your Health
The air quality in your home is actually more responsible for your overall respiratory health than the pollutants in the air outside. At least in most cities. Volatile organic compounds are found in most of the furnishings, flooring, cleaning products, paints, beds, etc. throughout the typical home. When these products are placed in a closed environment, like your home, the off-gas will negatively effect your health. Their overuse creates detectable levels both indoor and outdoor air. Once in your body, they can lead to neurological, immunological, endocrinological, genitourinary, and hematopoietic problems. A variety of building materials, toxic glues, thinners, lacquers, fillers, plastics, chemicals, petroleum products, preservatives, sealers, rubbers, etc., especially in new construction, are used in such quantities in the home and office, that the term “sick building syndrome” has been applied to individuals who manifest certain symptoms from these neurotoxins. The symptoms include headache, dizziness, disorientation, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, and eye, nose and throat irritation. Other symptoms can include diminished cognition, memory, reaction time, and hand-eye and foot-eye coordination, and balance and gait disturbances. Exposure can also lead to mood disorders, with depression, irritability, and fatigue being common symptoms. VOCs have been implicated in kidney damage. They have been associated with immunological problems, including increased cancer rates and immunotoxicity. Solvents have been found to lower testosterone and with infertility, hematological disorders and increased cardiovascular death rates, increased rates of asthma and chronic bronchitis, especially in children.
But before you give up and feel that the magnitude of the problem is to large to tackle, realize that there are steps you can take. Today, there are whole industries developed to build “green houses”, offer non-toxic cleaning chemicals, paints, furniture, beds and bedding, building materials, etc. See the links section of this website for companies that offer these products.