| Products that you use in your home and office | | | | |
| every day emit gases that can harm your | | | | The length of time you're exposed to them |
| health, both right away and after extended | | | | |
| exposure. These gases are known as volatile | | | | The rate at which the VOC is off-gassed |
| organic compounds (VOCs), and they're | | | | |
| emitted from a whole slew of items so much | | | | The building's ventilation capacity |
| so that there's a pretty good chance your new | | | | |
| home, office, car -- even that shiny new | | | | Whether you're exposed to a combination of |
| airplane you took your last business trip in | | | | chemicals (these effects are largely |
| -- are literally bathing you in a chemical | | | | unknown) |
| cocktail. Building a new home? | | | | |
| VOCs in the indoor air of new buildings is | | | | Acute symptoms of VOC exposure include: |
| on average 20 to 40 mg per m 3. Adverse | | | | |
| health effects may be felt at 10 mg per m | | | | Eye irritation/watering |
| 3. 0"> | | | | |
| | | | Nose and throat irritation |
| According to the Environmental Protection | | | | |
| Agency, concentrations of VOCs are | | | | Headaches |
| consistently up to 10 times higher indoors | | | | |
| than outdoors. Other studies have found that | | | | Nausea/vomiting |
| certain organic compounds average levels two | | | | |
| to five times higher in indoor air than | | | | Dizziness |
| outdoor air. | | | | |
| | | | Asthma exacerbation |
| What is most shocking, however, is that | | | | |
| immediately after using certain products, | | | | Allergic skin reaction |
| such as paint stripper, studies have found | | | | |
| that VOCs may be 1,000 times higher than | | | | Memory impairment |
| background outdoor levels. | | | | |
| | | | Visual disorders |
| VOCs: Here, There and Everywhere | | | | |
| | | | However, over time, VOCs can lead to many |
| Part of the problem with VOCs is that they | | | | serious conditions including: |
| are so prolific in our environment. | | | | |
| Sources of VOCs Include ... | | | | Cancer |
| | | | |
| - Paints | | | | Damage to the liver, kidney and central |
| | | | nervous system |
| - Paint strippers and other solvents | | | | |
| | | | Loss of coordination |
| - Wood preservatives | | | | |
| | | | People with respiratory problems such as |
| - Aerosol sprays | | | | asthma, young children, the elderly, and |
| | | | people with heightened sensitivity to |
| - Cleansers and disinfectants | | | | chemicals may be more at risk from VOC |
| | | | health effects. CSIRO found, though, that |
| - Moth repellents | | | | anyone could experience acute symptoms at |
| | | | exposure to concentrations above about 10 mg |
| - Air fresheners | | | | per m3. |
| | | | |
| - Stored fuels and automotive products | | | | Remember, new buildings may average VOC |
| | | | levels at 20 to 40 mg per m 3, and the CSIRO |
| - Hobby supplies | | | | report found total VOC concentrations for |
| | | | new cars to be as high as 64 mg per m3 of |
| - Dry-cleaned clothing | | | | air. After a few weeks, this level fell to |
| | | | 2.1 mg per m3, and to about 1.5 mg per m3 |
| - Varnishes | | | | after six months. |
| | | | |
| - Newspaper | | | | One caveat, as the temperature rose, so did |
| | | | the total VOC concentrations in the cars. |
| - Cooking | | | | |
| | | | Reduce Your VOC Exposure Now |
| - Vinyl floors | | | | |
| | | | According to the EPA, "At present, not much |
| - Carpets | | | | is known about what health effects occur |
| | | | from the levels of organics usually found in |
| - Photocopying | | | | homes." That said, reducing your exposure as |
| | | | much as possible is a prudent measure to |
| - Upholstery fabrics | | | | protect the health of yourself and your |
| | | | loved ones. Here are a number of tips that |
| - Adhesives | | | | you can put into action today: |
| | | | |
| - Sealing caulks | | | | Use only natural cleaning supplies in your |
| | | | home. At Sixwise.com, we carry an entire |
| - Cosmetics | | | | line of environmentally friendly, |
| | | | petrochemical-free cleaning products for |
| - Vehicle exhaust | | | | your upholstery, carpets, glass, dishes and |
| | | | more -- and, as it contains no toxic |
| - Pressed wood furniture | | | | ingredients, it won't compromise your indoor |
| | | | air quality. |
| - Tobacco smoke (secondhand smoke) | | | | |
| | | | Purchase new home and office products that |
| New materials, such as those used in new | | | | contain low or no VOCs (look for |
| homes and cars, tend to outgas more VOCs | | | | Environmentally Preferable Purchasing). |
| than older materials, and may decrease in | | | | |
| VOCs as time goes by. | | | | Use potentially hazardous products outside or |
| | | | in areas equipped with exhaust fans. At the |
| For instance, according to researchers of | | | | very least, open windows and use fans to |
| Australia's Commonwealth Scientific & | | | | keep air circulating. |
| Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), | | | | |
| "Total VOCs in the indoor air of new | | | | Watch the temperature and humidity: as these |
| buildings is on average 20 to 40 mg per m 3, | | | | increase, so will the off-gassing of |
| while established buildings have VOC levels | | | | chemicals. |
| generally below 1 mg per m 3." | | | | |
| | | | Filter your home's air with a high-quality |
| In fact, it is the heavy mixture of VOCs that | | | | air filter. |
| gives new vehicles their characteristic new | | | | |
| car smell. Automakers do try to limit the | | | | Dispose of partially used chemicals. Vapors |
| most potent VOC-emitting items; however, the | | | | can leak even from closed containers. When |
| result is that the cars may no longer have | | | | you purchase chemicals, purchase only the |
| the smell many consumers love -- good for | | | | amount you will use right away. Contact your |
| your health, but potentially bad for | | | | city or county for proper disposal of |
| business. | | | | household hazardous wastes. |
| | | | |
| Automakers have come up with a quick fix, | | | | Choose an environmentally friendly dry |
| though, and may add artificial "new car | | | | cleaner, like Greener Cleaners. |
| smell" or "treated leather" fragrances to | | | | Perchloroethylene, the chemical most widely |
| vehicles. | | | | used in dry cleaning, is a VOC known to cause |
| | | | cancer in animals. Studies have found that |
| VOCs' Health-Harming Ways | | | | people do breathe in low levels of this |
| | | | chemical while wearing dry-cleaned clothing |
| While some VOCs cause no known health | | | | and in homes where the clothing is stored. |
| effects, others are known to be highly | | | | Environmentally friendly cleaners do not use |
| toxic. Their effects vary and are dependent | | | | this chemical, so ask about it before |
| upon several factors including: | | | | dropping your clothing off for cleaning. |