Moving house - things for look for if you suffer from MCS

[Guest guest]

Dr Myhill is specializes in CFS, however many also have MCS and

multiple alleriges.

blessings

Shan

 

Moving house - things for look for if you suffer from MCS

http://www.drmyhill.co.uk/article.cfm?id=147

by Dr Myhill

 

(Adapted from an article by architect Nell Blyth, found in the newsletter of

the Australia Allergy Association, Brisbane Branch, PO Box 45, Woody Point,

Queensland, Australia 4019). [Paragraphs under 'Psst'-headings are own

comments.]

 

Many CFSs find they are multiply intolerant to things inside and outside

their house, and are consistently well when they live in another environment

(such

as a hot dry one). For these people the only option is to move. However, they

do not want to jump out of the frying pan into the fire.

 

The following notes are intended only as a preliminary check-list when

deciding whether you should stay in your present house or what to look for in a

possible new house. These items are general rules and not all of them will apply

to all people and all houses. It helps to know your own sensitivities and major

allergens and to test your reactions to particular materials, finishes and

environments.

 

Moving house is hellish as everybody knows. For CFS sufferers the torment is

even greater. If one has to move, it pays to give oneself the best chance of

finding a healthy new environment. Furthermore, it is generally accepted that

most, if not all, CFS sufferers are especially sensitive to their physical

environment.

 

The house site

 

-- Ridge or hilltop sites are preferable for good ventilation and drainage.

And avoid valley or low-lying sites where air movement may be restricted, where

pollutants may accumulate, where drainage may cause problems, where mist lies

longer. NB small variations in local land slopes (topography) can be

important.

 

-- Avoid densely overgrown, shady sites. More sun means less mould.

 

-- Avoid damp, badly drained sites. Is it filled land? Could it be over an

old creek bed or old dam? What is it filled with?

 

-- Check whether the house site/or house has been chemically sprayed for

ants, borer, or other pests. If so, avoid at all costs.

 

-- Try to find out as much about the house and site as possible from previous

owner(s), the builder and the Council. Remember, when asking for relevant

facts do not reveal your situation or your hoped-for answer - you are more

likely

to find out the truth.

 

-- Think of noise and light pollution

 

Adjoining land-use

 

-- Take a look at maps of the area to locate main roads, parks, land use,

etc.

 

-- Try to avoid industrial areas; especially when they are to the windward

side of the house site. Determine the predominant wind directions by looking at

trees, vegetation, by asking neighbours or the weather bureau. Topography can

have an effect on the wind direction and on pollutant concentration - 5km

means nothing if the land is very flat. Pollution can still be measurable over

very large distances (e.g. 50km). A minimum distance of 2-5km is preferable.

 

-- Check out possible changes in land use to adjoining or nearby vacant

allotments. Land may be zoned industrial.

 

-- Avoid large concentrations of traffic nearby. Freeways and major arterial

roads should be at least 1km distant.

 

-- Avoid sites where neighbouring sites are heavily overgrown preventing

ventilating breezes or sunlight penetration. Parkland or open space to the

windward of house site can be useful to reduce the influence of neighbourhood

pollutants and to help in ventilation of site. However, watch out for groves of

cypress or pine trees, or extensive grassland areas where pollen, terpenes and

dust

could be irritants.

 

-- Some residential areas have many deciduous trees and in autumn time

burning off can be a problem.

 

Neighbours

 

-- Look for sources of pollutants from neighbouring houses and allotments,

e.g. incinerators, gas heaters, oil heaters etc. Where are the flues located?

Are there chimneys and where are they located?

 

-- Consider possible pollution from home incinerators, especially burning

plastics. For preference, choose an area in which such pollution is illegal, and

the by-law is enforced, (check with local Council).

 

-- Where are the neighbours' garages, driveways and cars? Are they close to

opening windows, especially bedroom windows? If you live next door you will be

affected, no matter what the prevailing wind direction.

 

-- Do neighbours carry out noxious hobbies; e.g. fibreglassing, spray

painting?

 

The house itself

 

-- If looking at a house for sale, ask tactfully why the people are selling.

All information can be helpful. Ask how their health is, how long they have

lived there? Do they or neighbours or previous occupants have health problems

similar to your own?

 

-- Are animals permitted inside the house? Animal danders can cause problems.

 

 

Pesticides and other chemical contamination

 

-- Have pest control measures ever been used in the house? If so, what was

sprayed, when and where? If unsure, have it tested/assayed.

 

-- Have chemicals, cleaners or perfumes been stored in particular rooms or

cupboards? Odours will permeate unsealed cupboards and linings. Such problems

may be overcome by resealing surfaces or removing the cupboard.

 

Damp, cold and mouldy vs. dry, warm and sunny (Just in case you didn't

already have a preference)

 

-- Avoid musty smelling houses. Mould can be a serious problem.

 

-- Avoid damp houses.

 

-- Ensure damp areas such as kitchen, laundries and bathrooms are well

ventilated, with complete ventilation to the outside rather than just to their

ceiling space. A fan should be used while shower is running to prevent build-up

of

moisture. (A fan combined with a light and a heater is available for about 250

dollars).

 

-- Good and properly opening windows and cross ventilation through the house

are essential. Rooms with openable windows in two different walls are good for

cross ventilation, especially in bedrooms. If only one window, the room

should be well ventilated into a ventilated passage.

 

-- Sun penetration to the house will minimise mould problems - especially to

bedrooms.

 

-- Cellars and basements can be problem areas, especially if the area is not

well sealed from the rest of the house.

 

-- Has the house recently been painted or renovated? Beware, problem areas

such as mouldy walls may have been covered up.

 

-- Check there are good air locks between ensuite bathroom and walk-in

wardrobes, so clothes will remain dry. Ensuite bathroom will back-ventilate

through

the bedroom if it is not well ventilated itself.

 

-- Wardrobes, especially walk-in wardrobes, should be well ventilated. Apart

from condensation forming on cold walls, clothes placed there may be slightly

damp, even off the clothes line.

 

Building materials used?

 

-- Floor surfaces: hard, easily cleaned floor surfaces are preferred; e.g.

tile, slate, polished, oiled or sealed timber. Timber floors may be sealed with

two pack polyurethane1 or flood coated with internal flooring oil (cottonseed

based). Soft floors, such as cork, are sealed with single pack polyurethane

and this may cause some problems. Glazed ceramic tile is preferable to something

that has to be sealed (e.g. slate). Instead of sealing slate, it may be oiled

(e.g. paraffin oil and natural turps) which prevents other grease splashes

showing. Scatter rugs can be removed for easy cleaning.

 

-- Carpets and underfelts might be rubber or foam-backed and/or treated with

chemicals such as pesticides. Hair underfelt is better than these. Particle

board flooring may cause problems, especially if new and unsealed. Some

water-proof varieties may be satisfactory. (see comment at bottom of page)

 

-- Avoid exposed particle boards in cupboards, inside as well as out,

especially in new cupboards.

 

-- What type of paints have been used? In general, water-based paints do not

seal in chemicals from the underlying material (e.g. particle board). If these

materials are unavoidable then oil-based paints or two-pack polyurethane may

seal them.(see further comment at bottom of page)

Note: always test an adequately cured sample of paint or finish for your own

sensitivity. 'Natural' (oil) paints are usually terpene based. All painting is

best done in summer time when drying can be accelerated by high temperatures

and the house can be more easily ventilated.

 

-- What type of insulation has been used? Avoid U.F. foam. Consider not just

the insulation fibre but what (if anything) has been used to bond the fibre;

e.g. tough-skin batts. This concern can be modified by how well contained the

insulation is; e.g. with foil, wall structure and finish. Intactness of

containment is important; loose type fibre insulation can cause problems if roof

space and eaves are open vented and if wall vents are nearby. Seagrass may be

best

in an open-vented eaves house. It is wise to use insulation as this reduces

condensation problems by maintaining the internal temperature, as well as

reducing heating bills. Avoid soft plastic and vinyls, especially in heated

rooms

or bedrooms.

Note: frequent airing and vacuuming, especially of bedrooms, will minimise

dust mite problems. A ducted vacuum system is preferred as overall dust levels

can be reduced over time in the house.

 

Heating

 

-- What is the heating system? Oil, kerosene, gas and briquette heaters are

sources of pollution and dust and should be avoided.

 

-- Blown air heating systems can cause circulation of house pollutants and

dust. They are better blowing from above (ceiling installation) than from below

(floor), collecting less dust, dirt, mould in the ducts. Check that the heat

exchanger is not cracked. Is there a return air filter? is it washable? A low,

even, constant source of heat is better than intermittent heating. This

minimises condensation problems and possible moulds.

 

-- Portable column heaters or circulating water with panel radiators or

skirting convectors (and heated slabs if the floor finish is appropriate) are

suitable.

 

-- Avoid electric heating coils under carpet, as pollutants from underlays or

carpet can be vaporised.

 

[Psst...]

(The accompanying article is very helpful but not complete. Some points of

importance that may have been overlooked by the author include:

 

-- Under-house garages can cause problems. Better to have your car in a

detached garage or carport. Certainly it should not be under your bedroom.

 

-- If a place has ever been commercially fumigated, we believe you should not

buy it. (Unless you can be convinced that the chemicals used were safe or

have completely gone.) Find out whether Borafume 'borer bombs' have been used,

as

these contain the dangerous chemicals, Lindane and DDT.

 

-- In general the best homes are those that are not 'new' for new houses will

still be 'outgassing' and not 'old', for then they may have more mould and

damp problems - and you will be able to find out less about their history.

 

-- Several ANZMES members have reported severe problems on moving into houses

with bare pine timber walls. Presumably the problems are either in terpenes

(natural turpentine-like chemicals) from the wood, or in the coatings used to

'seal' the wood.

 

-- Electro-magnetic pollution may have to be considered, including local

transformers, pylons, neighbours' television sets (especially if your are buying

a

flat or unit), and possibly other factors as well. Possibly transmission

lines, e.g. microwave links etc. (Many people have troubles with fluorescent

lighting.)

 

Which home?

 

As with so many things it is a matter of care and, eventually, some sort of

compromise. If you are moving you must think very carefully about all the

possibilities and take your time. The editors, who moved home in 1985, viewed

hundreds of homes in several localities before finding the 'right one'.

 

Among several pitfalls which we encountered were believing initially that a

'few acres out in the country', where we could grow much of our own food, would

be safe and clean. Eventually we realised that wherever the land was good

enough for use to grow anything was either already being used for horticulture

or

was under threat of such use, with the guarantee of pesticide drift,

contamination of drinking water etc.

 

Our eventual choice has turned out to be the right one, a two storey place,

near the top of the hill in an outermost suburb which has hilly,

non-horticultural land around. Although we are not on a very quiet street -

which would have

been ideal - the section is well above road level, and the upper floor,

containing the bedroom, is well away from the road. At night, a replaceable

security/mosquito screen door makes it possible to breath the freshest of air.

 

For further information about healthy alternatives to wall-to-wall carpets

visit www.healthyflooring.org

 

 

Bibliography

 

David Rousseau, W J Rea (MD), and Jean Enwright: Your Home, Your Health and

Well-Being. Available from The Human Ecology Research Foundation/SW, 8345

Walnut Hill Lane, Suite 205, Dallas, TEXAS 75231, for $19.95 plus P & P.

 

[Psst...]

 

1 [Eds: Polyurethane reference to one- and two-pack polyurethane is

important. Most people in this country think of polyurethane as being the clear

material which is applied like paint. This is one-pack polyurethane and has the

serious disadvantage of taking months or years to 'outgas', as the solvent

gradually gasifies leaving the hard residue. By contrast two-pack polyurethane

is

usually applied by professional applicators, and produces extremely toxic gases

during the first 24-48 hours. However, because the two chemicals which are mixed

together to form a solid non-volatile compound, it is soon possible to live

safely with this floor covering].

 

2 Particle board: another author writes: " Particle boards, pressed wood

products and plywood should, categorically, be avoided wherever possible, as

they

are probably the worst source of indoor pollutants. Although outgrassing

formaldehyde may reduce with time, it takes many years before the process is

complete. If particle boards are already installed in cupboards or panels and

cannot

be removed, there are measures which can substantially reduce emission of

harmful products " .

 

From Harold E Buttram (MD), Chemicals in the Home, Part V: Control Measures,

20th Century Living, March/April 1988. (The measures listed often involve the

use of products which may not be available in this country. Maybe there are

substitutes).