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At one time or another, many of us decide to tackle a home improvement project. This is especially true when we discover a baby is on the way! Whether you are thinking about starting a do-it-yourself home improvement project or are considering hiring someone to do a major renovation of your home, be prepared. Learn all you can about the materials to be used. Home and decorating products are a major cause of poor indoor air quality.

Easy Steps

Use least toxic supplies when renovating.

• Use low VOC, no VOC or natural based paints, lacquers, varnishes and stains. The smell of conventional paints is from solvents in the paint known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as benzene, styrene, toluene, xylene, and formaldehyde. Some VOCs are carcinogenic or neurotoxic.1 They are also associated with other symptoms, like headaches, fatigue, difficulty breathing, and eye, skin and airway irritation.1 Oil-based products are the worst in terms of the amount of fumes they may release.
• Use reclaimed or hard woods instead of particleboard or plywood. Particleboard and plywood both use formaldehyde based resins to bind the pieces of wood together. This formaldehyde, classified by the US EPA as a probable human carcinogen, can off-gas into your home’s indoor air and pollute it for years.2 Long-term inhalation of formaldehyde vapors can cause fatigue, respiratory irritation, impaired lung function, and allergic skin reactions.²
• Use natural floorings instead of vinyl. Vinyl flooring is made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which can leach phthalates (hormone disruptors).³ 

If it is economically or logistically not an option to use non-toxic environmentally friendly products throughout your home, at least use them in rooms that children spend the most time in.

Keep pregnant women and children away from renovation areas to avoid exposure to toxic dusts and fumes.

Seal off renovation areas with sheet plastic to help keep dust and fumes from drifting into other areas of your home. Also, remove shoes and dusty clothing before re-entering non-renovation areas and wash work clothes separately from general laundry.

Ventilate well and clean up with a damp rag to get rid of all of the dust that vacuuming and sweeping alone won’t get.

If you live in a house built before 1978, be sure to test for lead paint. It is very important that you have a professional test for lead paint and that you follow every precaution when dealing with it. Lead dust can last for years on stuffed animals and carpet and in very small amounts can cause permanent brain damage.⁴

Additional Resources

• The US Green Building Council’s Green Home Guide
• Green Home Renovations: The Most Helpful Resources
• The Guidebook for Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home 

Are you in the Chicago area? Healthy Child Healthy World is presenting Healthy Home 2010 - a groundbreaking designer showhouse that sets a new benchmark for stylish green living with a focus on healthier indoor air quality. In an unprecedented collaboration among design industry leaders and indoor air quality experts, Healthy Home 2010 showcases how to create a healthier home from the inside out. Learn more.

¹ US Environmental Protection Agency, An Introduction to Indoor Air Quality. 2007
² US Environmental Protection Agency, An Introduction to Indoor Air Quality. 2007.
³ Joe Thornton, Ph.D. Environmental Impacts of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Building Materials. Columbia Earth Institute, Columbia University. 2007.
⁴ US Environmental Protection Agency, Protect Your Child from Lead Poisoning. 2007.

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