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