20 Off-Gassing Culprits
From Dan on March 18th, 2009 in Green Remodeling
There are literally thousands of materials that are known to emit gases over short or long periods of time. Luckily, all of these are unlikely to be in your house at any one time; still there are many household materials which have off-gassing properties. Off-gassing is a major detriment to indoor air quality in the home. The EPA found that levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were 2 to 5 times higher inside homes than outside.
Needless to say a little knowledge about sources of off-gassing in the home comes in very useful. The most common and most hyped material is paint. Erasing the lead from paint does not make it completely healthy; there may still be plenty of VOCs involved that can cause serious problems. In addition to paint, here are 20 more off-gassing culprits, some of which may take you by surprise.
- Mattress (foam/batting)
- Stains/Varnishes
- Carpet
- Insulation
- Flooring materials (vinyl, glues, finishes, adhesives)
- Countertops
- Cabinets
- Plywood/Oriented Strand Board (OSB)/Particle Board
- Paint strippers (keep well sealed in storage)
- Cleaning supplies
- Copiers/Printers in the home office
- Wax
- Aerosol sprays
- Air fresheners
- Fuels (stored oil, gasoline, etc.)
- Dry-cleaned clothing
- Moth/Insect repellents
- Furniture (engineered wood components or tabletop finish)
- Packing foam (peanuts)
- Indoor swimming pools
Some symptoms attributed to off-gassing and poor indoor air quality are eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, nausea, and more serious health effects such as liver, kidney, and central nervous system damage. The capacity of VOCs to cause health problems varies widely from substance to substance.
For more information on off-gassing, health effects, and how to reduce exposure in your home, see the Environmental Protection Agency’s site on Indoor Air Quality.
Other helpful links:
January 16th, 2012 at 7:03 am
[...] homes may have chosen carpeting and other products that emit a high level of VOCs, aka fumes and contaminates. This includes carpeting, paints, adhesives, coatings, and other surfaces. Pull these up cautiously [...]