permaculture

[CHINAGRVE@aol.com]

>I may be living in a brand-new conventionally built house next year that
>will be chock full of off-gassing toxins....
>
>What can one do to alleviate that problem ?
>
>Do air-filters/purifiers help?
>
> What ae the chief culprits ( carpets/cabinets?)
>
>Are there alternative glues/materials that you could recommend?
>
>Also, is there a way to lessen electro-magnetic radiation within a hi-tech
>"wired" house ?
>
>The house will go up next Spring so there's still time to substitute
>things...
>
>Thanks...

Hi Claude,
     I'm chemically sensitive and my boyfriend and I build our house together 
with a little help.  Some of the things we did were:

Not frame with pressed wood in bedroom or rooms you will spend lots of time 
in.  We used 2 by 6 pine.   If you must use pressed wood coat it with about 3 
coats of solvent free clear seal such as Safe Seal by Safecoat.  While they 
are building you could be coating the stuff before they put in on.  Also a 
biggie is checking the wood they frame with for mold.  If you find any spray 
it with clorox before it goes up.    The insides and back of kitchen cabinets 
can be coated with Safe Seal - a minimum of three coats.
I personally wouldn't have carpets it my house unless they were made of 
natural fibers but it you have no choice pick a carpet with the lowest VOC 
you can find.  A friend of mine became ill with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity 
from new carpeting.  A good suggestion for testing carpets is to sleep with a 
piece of carpet by your nose and see if it makes you sick.  In my friends 
lawsuit  they checked the toxins in the carpet by putting a piece of carpet 
in a small container with mice to see if they became ill - they all died.  If 
you have no choice in the type of carpet then get it steam cleaned without 
any chemicals before you move in  or leave it out in the sun for a week to 
outgas some.  Also I would leave windows open in carpeted rooms until they 
outgas before moving in.   I would never carpet a bedroom for the room you 
sleep in needs to have the cleanest air so you can detox during the night.  
If you live in an area with clean air always leave some windows open.

     Paint interiors with a no voc paint like ICI Deluxe Spred 2000 (used to 
be Glidden).  
     And the main thing I would do is request more windows on south side to 
get as much passive solar into the house.

     Hope this helps some.  There are lots of books on building healthy houses

Marilyn