New Homes Making People Sick
March 2nd, 2009 by Shawn Cunningham
Along with all of the concerns for building smarter homes that are more energy efficient, an equally important subject are the ingredients used in the materials to construct them. The Wilson family mentioned in this piece from Green Building Elements highlights a problem that needs to be addressed, and is as important as energy management. Materials that emit VOCs (volatile organic compounds) are plentiful in the built environment, and in new home developments this can be compounded by a variety of emitting materials working together to create a very toxic environment for the home’s dwellers.
In this particular case, the prognosis was Formaldehydem, which is very common in wood products, especially pressed wood products and medium density fiberboard (MDF) found throughout the Wilson’s home. The article also sheds light on the need for natural ventilation in a home, which in the Wilson’s case, may have been a contributing factor.
This is one thing we take very seriously at Integrity Block and is part of our holistic approach to manufacturing materials, which focuses on the energy that goes into making a product, the emissions produced, and the “ingredients” that are used to develop the product. We have gone to great lengths to include source materials that minimize impact to the environment at the end of the product’s life cycle, and the aesthetic beauty of our products encourage using the products au natural without facing them with some VOC emitting product.
Long gone are the days that homes and other structures can include overtly toxic materials like asbestos, but lack of manufacturer and consumer awareness has created plenty of opportunity for tragedies such as these. We hope to see more leadership from manufacturers and more awareness and demand from consumers for more natural ingredients and non-toxic, non-emitting materials, in the built environment.