Building Materials and a Healthier Build Part 2: Paint and HVAC Filters

Consumers are becoming more educated about the health impact of their indoor environment and are demanding a healthier build so it is crucial that building professionals can meet this demand through knowledge of building materials that have a healthier impact on indoor air.

By breaking down the various aspects of a build, the task of building a healthier home can be simplified: Consider the material the building is made from (includes the insulation), then how the home is decorated or finished (includes paint, flooring) and finally what we bring into the building, and how we maintain the building (includes dust).?

Having focused on insulation and flooring in Part 1 of this article, this week the spotlight is on paint and dust. Here you will learn:

• Water-based paints have significantly lower solvent and VOC content and are generally a healthier choice.
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are probably the most cause for concern in paints but other chemicals such as?mercury, propylene glycol and glycol ethers may also be present
• Dust acts as a sink or reservoir for numerous toxins, allergens, and irritants that pose serious threats to our health
• A whole-house filtration system integrated into the HVAC system of the home is a great way to purify the air throughout the home.

Paint

Conventional paint?can contain many chemicals that may be harmful to health in general and, in particular, are considered a problem to those impacted by asthma and allergies.???

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are probably the most cause for concern but other chemicals such asmercury, propylene glycol and glycol ethers may also be present.?

VOCs?are chemicals emitted as gases from liquid and solid materials, and in particular are associated with oil based paints. VOCs are a known asthma trigger. They can also?cause eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches and nausea. Exposure to high concentrations of VOCs for extended periods can cause long-term damage to certain systems of the body, including to the nervous system, liver and kidneys.?According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, some VOCs are suspected carcinogens.?

A fresh coat of paint will continue to emit VOCs into the air even after it appears completely dry so it is wise to?ventilate a room for 72 hours after painting, even if the smell of paint fumes has already dissipated, as some of the most toxic VOCs can be odorless.

Though the majority of VOC off-gassing typically happens during the first week after painting, surfaces can continue to emit harmful chemicals for years to come. In the air, these chemicals can cause chemical reactions with other pollutants such as fine particulates and ozone, both of which have been found to have negative health impacts.?

Paint products should be selected carefully, taking due consideration of any chemical sensitivities the home occupants may have.?Water-based paints have significantly lower solvent and VOC content and are generally a healthier choice. Use of a water based paint also removes the need for strong cleaning chemicals for paintbrushes and therefore removes an additional source of VOCs.

In the past decade significant steps have been taken to reduce and remove the amount of harmful chemicals used in paint so that now there is a much wider choice of paint available. This change?has been in response both to consumer pressure and tighter regulations around the VOC content of paints. Significant advances have occurred in the paint sector, including better formulation technologies and new additive options that has led to the development of healthier paints that can perform on par with traditional solvent based products. This has been necessary as consumers are unlikely to purchase a healthier product if it is less effective than the alternatives.

With these advances, labelling on paint tins has become more transparent and informative making it easier to select appropriate products. Evidence of third party testing is a helpful and trustworthy guide to choosing the right product for your build.?

HVAC Filters

Housewives of the past knew that keeping house contributed to health and wellness. They may not have been privy to the specific science behind the importance of ridding the home of dust but they had an awareness that dusting was good for the family. And they were right. Dust is far from an innocuous irritation. It acts as a sink or reservoir for numerous toxins, allergens and irritants that pose serious threats to our health.?

About one-third of household dust is created inside the home. There’s no one recipe for house dust. Human skin cells are part of this debris, as are?pet skin cells (dander) and dust mites.?There are?decomposed insects, some food debris, fibers from carpets, bedding and clothes, and particulate matter from smoking and cooking. Man-made chemicals make up the mix as well. For example, flame retardant chemicals that are used in consumer products migrate out of those products into air and dust.?

The other two-thirds of the indoor dust load actually comes from outside. This dirt and dust is tracked in on shoes and clothes and on the feet and fur of pets, and it?contains bacteria, viruses, pollen, mold spores, soil particles and lead.

Pests and domestic animals introduce allergens to the indoor environment which can trigger an immune response in humans. These pests and animals are primarily dust mites, cockroaches, mice, rats, cats and dogs. Dust mites are microscopic pests that feed on shedded human and animal skin cells, typically burrowing in bedding, mattresses and furniture upholstery. It is their faeces and body parts that pose a harmful threat to health as allergen. Mites have been associated with asthma, allergic rhinitis (hay fever), and other allergic reactions.?

When constructing of a healthier home, to ignore the threat of dust to our health and in particular to those impacted by asthma and allergies would be seriously remiss. A whole house filtration system integrated into the HVAC system of the home is a great way to purify the air throughout the home and negates the need for air purifiers in each room.?

However, because HVAC systems work by forcing air through ducts it is possible that these systems themselves can be a source of particle spread if they don’t have an effective filtration system. Effective filtration to protect those impacted by asthma and allergies requires that the filter is capable of capturing particles of different sizes and that a high percentage of pollen, dust mite allergen and cat allergen is captured.?The filter must have capacity to remove particles during accelerated loading and post-cleaning and should also comply with strict limits on ozone emission.

Conclusion

Building a healthier home does not need to be complicated or difficult but it does help to have an understanding of the medical impact of poor indoor air quality and some knowledge of the potential toxicants, irritants and allergens that may be emitted from various materials and products in the home. There is now an expectation that building professionals are educated about healthy indoor environment and how to achieve it, so it’s imperative to stay informed and up-to-date on all new advances and technology.

To learn more about how to build a healthier home visit https://www.iair.academy

To learn about CERTIFIED?asthma & allergy friendly??products or how to get your product CERTIFIED visit https://www.allergystandards.com

Author: Anna O' Donovan