|
Substance
|
Description
|
Risk
|
Sources
|
Testing
|
Safety Guidelines
|
Reduction Methods
|
|
Asbestos
|
Mineral fiber
|
Lung cancer, mesothelioma, other cancers. Asbestos is only dangerous when its fibers are released into the air and inhaled.
|
Asbestos is a common building material that was once (pre-1975) widely used in insulation, sound-proofing, fireproofing, and
texturizing.
|
Asbestos problems are determined by visual inspection or by air monitoring. Air monitoring technologies are not completely
reliable.
|
There is no safe level for asbestos.
|
Removal, enclosure, or encapsulation. Asbestos abatement should always be done by professionals.
|
|
Carbon Monoxide
|
Colorless, odorless gas
|
Fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, heart and brain disorders; asphyxiation and death
|
Incomplete combustion from improperly ventilated heaters, furnaces, wood-burning stoves and fireplaces; car exhaust; tobacco
smoke.
|
Carbon monoxide sensors sound an alarm when hazardous levels are detected.
|
More than 5 ppm is considered dangerous.
|
Make sure heaters are used and ventilated correctly. Inspect furnaces, stoves, and fireplaces and perform proper maintenance.
Never idle a car in a garage.
|
|
Formaldehyde
|
Colorless water-soluble gas
|
Eye and lung irritation, neurological disorders
|
Urea formaldehyde foam (UFF) insulation, formaldehyde-treated wallboard, plywood. Contamination is especially common in mobile
homes.
|
A PF-1 device is placed in the house for a week, then sent to a lab for analysis.
|
Limit exposure to 0.1 ppm
|
Improve ventilation, seal or remove the material, or treat it with ammonia (for professionals only).
|
|
Lead
|
Heavy, soft, bluish-gray metal
|
Lead poisoning has been linked to mental retardation, learning disabilities, kidney and blood ailments, and other health problems.
|
Lead-based paints, lead pipes, leaded gasoline, industrial pollution.
|
Annual blood tests for children. Portable X-ray fluorescence test for paint. Professional labs can test drinking water.
|
A blood lead level of over 15 ug/dl is dangerous for children and pregnant women. Safe levels in paint: 7 mg per square cm;
in water: 5 ppb.
|
aint should be stripped by a professional. Lead painted doors and windows can be replaced. Encapsulation may be a viable option.
|
|
Lead
|
Radioactive gas
|
Lung cancer.
|
Water supply, soil, basement cracks. Products of radon decay attach to airborne dust particles, which are inhaled.
|
Test devices are exposed to air, then sent to lab for analysis.
|
Levels at or above 1 Working Load (WL) or 200 pic-ocuries per liter (pCi/l) are considered dangerous.
|
Ventilation, crack sealing, covering exposed earth, suction, altering house air pressure, air cleaning.
|
Altman, Roberta. The Complete Book of Home Environmental Hazards. New York: Facts on File, 1990.
