Home is where the toxins are: Everyday items can be health risk
By Dan Shapley, Poughkeepsie Journal, Tuesday, March 8, 2005

Five years ago, Ann Lagoy was cleaning a shower when she began to feel dizzy. The bleach she was using reacted with an ammonia residue from a prior cleaning to produce toxic chloramine gas.
''My lungs were burning for a few days. Now that I've read about it, I'm lucky that I didn't pass out,'' the Fishkill resident said. ''That's one of the worst gases that you can come in contact with. That really scared me.''

Lagoy, who ran Home Assistance Cleaning Service at the time, got a copy of ''The Naturally Clean Home,'' a book with recipes for natural alternatives to common cleaners. Soon she had not only stopped using off-the-shelf cleaning products in favor of vinegar and baking soda, but she soon started marketing her own line of non-toxic home cleaning products -- Sound Earth.

''I do hope that I'm doing my body a favor, and that I am able to get rid of those toxins,'' Lagoy said.

Vapors from water

Local residents have been made more aware of the potential for chemicals lingering inside homes to cause health problems in recent months, as environmental agencies test the air in two neighborhoods in East Fishkill. There, toxic vapors seeping into homes from polluted groundwater are a concern.

But many are unaware that experts are increasingly concerned about the chemicals released by common household products and furnishings.

To get accurate tests inside homes at the polluted sites in Dutchess County, the Environmental Protection Agency asked residents to remove a host of common household products that could muddy readings for the pollutants.

Paints, lacquers, stains, de-greasers, air fresheners, cleaning products and hair sprays were among items Debra Hall was asked to remove from her East Fishkill home before the EPA tested the air.

Even after those products were removed, test results showed a host of chemicals at very low levels, only one of which was associated with groundwater contamination.

The EPA installed a ventilation system to remove any toxic vapors seeping up from the ground. Hall, who uses natural cleaning products, said she's not concerned about the other substances in the air.

''I'm not going to upset myself,'' she said.

Some indoor air contaminants have been studied closely, and efforts have been made to reduce their threats. Smoking cigarettes indoors is discouraged. Lead is no longer added to paint and asbestos is no longer manufactured. Many new home buyers test the air for radon -- a colorless, odorless radioactive gas that can seep into homes and is second only to cigarettes in causing lung cancer.

Experts know dust, pet hair, bacteria and mold can trigger allergic reactions and asthma attacks.

Many of the harshest hobby products, like paints, glues and solvents are no longer on the market, but some remain.

Leo Roach, a Rhinebeck resident and secretary of the Hudson Valley Railroad Society, has been working on a miniature replica of the City of Poughkeepsie train station circa 1930 for a display at the downtown station. Many of his friends use ''spray booths'' -- hoods that vacuum fumes outside before they can be inhaled. Roach uses mild acrylic paints, and simply opens all the windows in one room, even in winter.

''I try avoiding all the stuff I can. The plastic solvents are a problem, and we use a lot of plastic in the building of these models. So whenever you're using those, we make sure we have plenty of ventilation,'' he said.

Indoor air often most toxic

While steps have been taken to educate people about many indoor air contaminants, and to remove many from the market, the EPA reported in 2002 that indoor air is often more polluted than air outdoors. Levels indoors of common organic pollutants were two to five times higher than outdoors.

''U.S. environmental law has been very successful in reducing outdoor air pollution, but has paid much less attention to indoor air pollution,'' said Jonathan B. Wiener, an environmental law professor at Duke University. ''The EPA says indoor air pollution is a major health concern, but the EPA has no direct authority to protect indoor air quality, and Congress has even limited that authority.''

The health effects, if any, of the chemicals present in indoor air from household products and furniture are unknown. While few of the chemicals are known to be harmful at low concentrations, the cumulative exposure to different kinds is a concern. Children are also more likely to be affected by exposure to chemicals in their environment, because their bodies are smaller and they breathe more relative to their body weight.

Volatile organic compounds can be released from paints, air fresheners, cleansers, dry-cleaned clothes and new carpets -- to name a few.

Eye and respiratory tract irritation, headaches, dizziness, visual disorders and memory impairment are among immediate symptoms that some people have experienced soon after exposure to some organics, according to the EPA. Many organic compounds are known to cause cancer in animals, and some are suspected of causing, or are known to cause, cancer in humans.

Many of the 152,970 chemicals listed in the Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances are in use. The list is maintained by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Yet many are not regulated by federal agencies and have not been tested enough to know if they are problematic at low doses over long periods of time, said Ed Olmstead, owner of Olmstead Environmental Services Inc. in Garrison. For 25 years, Olmstead has tested the air in workplaces and homes to identify and correct problems.

''The thing that can be worrisome is we're producing so many new chemicals, and we constantly substitute them into new materials,'' he said. ''Are we just waiting to find the next group of bad actors?''

Peter Iwanowicz, chief policy officer of the American Lung Association of New York, agreed.

''Our general inclination is to believe that we're not in a world where the stuff we're doing can poison us. It took a long time for people to admit that smoking indoors can be harmful,'' he said. ''We have to look at other sources.''

Baruch Fischoff, a Carnegie Mellon University professor who studies risk analysis and is president of the Society for Risk Analysis, said there are many potential risks we face in the modern world, and people must make choices in the absence of definitive information.

In this case, it's possible using off-the-counter cleaners, for example, pose no health problems. Fischoff advised considering sensitive people at home -- pregnant women and small children, and senior citizens -- and the cost of alternatives.

''If you're concerned, you might ask, 'Is there an a less toxic alternative that will be as good a cleaner as far as you can tell?' '' Fischoff said. ''You can do that and put it out of your mind.''

Bad air in the house

Bedroom

• Paint manufactured before 1978 contains lead.
• Animals can produce hair, dander, feathers or skin that cause allergic reactions.
• Moth balls often contain paradichlorobenzene, a pesticide.
• Dry-cleaned clothes release organic gases from chemicals used in the cleaning process.

Living room

• New carpets can release organic gases. Carpets that have been soaked can grow mold and mildew.
• Air conditioners can harbor mold and mildew.
• Secondhand smoke contains harmful combustion and particulate pollutants including carbon monoxide.
• Paneling and pressed-wood furniture and cabinets, and some draperies may release formaldehyde gas.

Bathroom

• Personal care products and air fresheners release organic gases.

Kitchen

• Household cleaners can release harmful or irritating vapors.
• Floor tiles can contain asbestos.
• Unvented gas stoves, fireplaces and kerosene or gas space heaters can release carbon monoxide and other gases.

Garage

• Car exhaust is a source of carbon monoxide and other gases.
• Pesticides and fertilizers used in the yard and garden contain poisonous chemicals.
• Stored fuels like gasoline and kerosene release harmful vapors.

Basement

• Moisture encourages mold, mildew, cockroaches and dust mites that can trigger asthma attacks or allergic reactions.
• The ground can release radon, an invisible radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer.

Signs of possible home indoor air quality problems

Be alert for these signs:

• Unusual and noticeable odors.
• Stale or stuffy air.
• Noticeable lack of air movement.
• Excessive humidity.
• Presence of molds and mildew.
• Health reactions that can include congestion, headaches, nausea or fatigue.
• Feeling noticeably healthier outside the home.

Sources: Environmental Protection Agency; Journal research
Dan Shapley can be reached at dshapley@poughkeepsiejournal. com

On the Web:
American Lung Association: www.lungusa.org
Environmental Protection Agency: www.epa.gov/iaq