The Consumer Federation of America cites indoor air pollution as a major health problem, and the EPA ranks it among the top five environmental risks to public health. The place that we want to feel the most secure can make you ill and at the very worse can cause a life threating disease. The EPA has identified over 3,000 sub­stances in indoor air that are poten­tial heath hazards. Lead paint, radon gas, asbestos, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide are the major contributors to indoor air pollution. According to the EPA, indoor air may be ten times more toxic than outdoor air and over 10,000 people could be killed in a year by indoor air pollution. In 1979 the Surgeon General pointed out that “There is virtually no major chronic disease to which en­vironmental factors do not contribute, directly or indi­rectly.” In 1985 the Department of Housing and Urban Develop­ment required that warning labels be posted in manufac­tured houses concerning products that cause indoor air pollu­tion and health problems.

The American Medical Association reports that people living in new homes have a 45 percent higher incidence of respiratory infection than those liv­ing in older homes. The problem with the new homes started with the energy crisis in the seventies. Homes were built tighter and more energy efficient. This efficiency would not allow the house to breath and expel the bad air that accumulates. In the winter the same air would be circulated through out the house.

The main source of lead contamination continues to be lead-based paint. Children are at the greatest risk from eating paint chips or breath­ing paint dust. Adults are exposed more often in the workplace, especially in construction. Children and adults can be exposed to high amounts of lead paint during renovations when paint is sanded or burned off. The effects of lead on children is more serious than adults because of a child’s body size and metabolism. Exposure to lead can cause temporary or per­manent neurobehavioral and developmental problems. Lead accumulates in the kidneys and liver causing dysfunction and eventual failure. Lead can also lead to blood disease. The symptoms of lead poisoning includes loss of appetite, irritability, joint pains, fatigue and purple lines on the gums. Lead can be moderately removed from the blood stream with EDTA or penicillamine but if it gets into the bone, where it has a half-life of twenty years, it is difficult to ever maintain low blood levels.

Homes built before 1940 may contain concentrations of lead paint as high as 50 percent, houses built before 1978 are considered at risk. Between 40 and 50 percent of housing in the United States still have lead paint. An XRF analyzer measures the lead content of painted surfaces without removing paint and gives an immediate on-site reading. If you have lead paint the easiest and safest method is to completely cover it. Stripping lead paint is hazardous and is regulated by state and local laws.

Radon gas comes from decaying uranium. The uranium changes into radon gas which moves through the soil into the air. When it is mixed with fresh air it gets diluted to low levels that generally pose no threat to ones health. The gas can get trapped in your house and build up to dangerous and unhealthy levels. Surprisingly the gas is not the problem but the microscopic particles that it produces are. As you breath in the particles they stick to the inside of your lungs. Two of these particles, Polonium 218 and Poloium 214, can release an alpha particle that can damage the lung cells and increase the chance of developing lung cancer.

There are several radon testing devices: charcoal canisters and bags, electret-ion-chambers, continuous radon monitors, and charcoal liquid scintillation bottles. The test must be held in a closed house, and for the best results, over an extended period of time. Two days to three months is the minimum amount of time required and sometimes an entire year is needed for an accurate test. Radon levels can change from day to day and with the change of the seasons.

The best way to deal with unacceptable levels of radon is to seal your foundation and vent the gas away from the house. Some systems are as simple as installing a drain pipe in the ground then attaching a fan to suck the gas from under the house. The cost is usually between 500 and 2,000 dollars.

Asbestos has been widely used for a variety of items that require in­sulating qualities and or fire resistance. Houses built between 1930 and 1950 may have asbestos as insulation. Roofing and siding shingles were made of asbestos cement. Asbestos siding is most prevalent in the north­ern states because of its insulating qualities. It may be present in textured paint and patching compounds used on walls and ceiling joints, their use was banned in 1977. Artificial ashes and embers sold for use in gas-fired fireplaces may contain asbestos. Older products such as stove-top pads may have some asbestos compounds. Walls and floors around woodburn­ing stoves may be protected with asbestos paper, millboard, or cement sheets. Asbestos can be found in some vinyl floor tiles and the backing on vinyl sheet flooring and adhesives. Hot water and steam pipes in older houses may be coated with an asbestos material or covered with an asbes­tos blanket or tape. Oil and coal furnaces and door gaskets may have asbestos insulation.

In 1972 the EPA announced that there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. Any exposure to the fibers involves some health risk. Asbestos can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. Smokers that are exposed to asbestos are five times more at risk of developing lung cancer than a non-smoker. It can take from ten to thirty years after exposure for health problems to develop. Most people who contract lung cancer and mesothelioma die within two years and there is no known cure for asbes­tosis.