The Healthy House Answer Book: Answers to the 133 Most Commonly Asked Questions - Softcover

John Bower; Lynn Marie Bower

Softcover

ISBN 10: 096371564X ISBN 13: 9780963715647

Publisher: Healthy House Inst, 1997

Synopsis

Among the various healthy housing books, The Healthy House Answer Book by John and Lynn Bower is something a little different. While the rest of the offerings in this field are thick, very comprehensive volumes, this is a smaller book in both size and depth--sort of a "pocket healthy housing guidebook." While covering the major concerns anyone would have about all aspects of construction and maintenance, all the information is presented in a very concise Q and A format. With subject chapters and a complete index, this is a great introductory book for anyone interested in the subject.

About this title

About the Author

John Bower (BS Purdue University, MA Ball State University) has been involved with healthy house construction since 1984. He has written extensively on the subject in several books (The Healthy House, Healthy House Building, and Understanding Ventilation) as well as in articles for such publications as Custom Builder, The Journal of Light Construction, and Mother Earth News. In addition, he has been an invited speaker at builders' conferences throughout the U.S. and Canada sponsored by such organizations as the National Association of Home Builders, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the American Institute of Architects. In 1991, he was honored with a Professional Achievement Award for "healthy house advocacy" from Professional Builder magazine. He is currently serving on the Editorial Advisory Board of Indoor Environment Review.

Lynn Marie Bower has a BS in education (magna cum laude) from Western Michigan University. She has been a public school teacher, and an accomplished graphic designer and fine artist. She became personally interested in the subject of healthier houses when she acquired Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) nearly two decades ago during a home remodeling project. Since that time she has written scores of articles on creating and maintaining a healthier lifestyle, and has co-edited a statewide MCS support-group newsletter. Her previous book, The Healthy Household, continues to be a well-reviewed and is a popular classic in its field.

From the Back Cover

You've got questions? We've got answers! Do you have health concerns about interior paints, flooring, air filters, water filters, drywall, treated wood, foundations, furnaces, cabinets, electromagnetic fields, insulation, or cleaning products? Do you wonder what's safe to use--and what isn't? Well, here's the book with the easy-to-read, easy-to-understand, concise answers you've been searching for. Be sure. Know the facts. If you're interested in better health for your family, The Healthy House Answer Book is a must-have home reference guide.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction. If we would've been asked us in 1976, when we bought our first house, if indoor pollution was an important issue, we probably wouldn't have thought so. But we would have been wrong. A government report has stated that "Indoor air pollution...accounts for 50% of all illness (and) health care costs (from its effects) are estimated at $100 billion per year." That's an astounding statement. Think about all the times you, a friend, or a family member have been sick. Half of all those illnesses were probably caused by poor indoor air quality.

What we're talking about includes all forms of illness. Perhaps that case of the sniffles was due to a dust-mite allergy, or when you thought you had the flu, it was because of a malfunctioning chimney. Your grandfather's lung cancer may have been due to radon gas, and your daughter's menstrual irregularities could have been caused by the formaldehyde given off by the kitchen cabinets.

Many people have heard of Sick Building Syndrome. From time to time, the news media reports on a new office building where some employees are mysteriously ill. These people are healthy when they're away from work, but as soon as they get back on the job, they experience a variety of symptoms. Well, guess what? Houses can be sick too. We all have different levels of tolerance. In a sick office building, the air might only be bad enough to affect 10% of the workers. Similarly, houses usually aren't so bad that everyone gets seriously ill. In fact, in a typical sick house, there's usually only one person affected. It's common for other family members, who feel OK, to label the sick person a hypochondriac.

One of the illnesses that's increasingly being recognized is a condition called Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). People with MCS are much more sensitive than the rest of the population to common indoor air pollutants. Like all illnesses, there are degrees of MCS. Some reports have estimated that it affects up to 15% of the population. We learned about MCS the hard way a few years after we bought out first house.

That house wasn't much to look at--it was a dilapidated old farm house that was built in the 1850s. Between 1976 and 1982, we completely rebuilt much of the inside and outside ourselves--while we were living in it. We were proud of the end result and where honored with a preservation award from the county historical society. But the exposure to all the new construction materials literally destroyed Lynn's health. It took us another couple of years to learn that many common building products can make you sick. Frankly, we were shocked. We used the same plywood, cabinets, paints, and carpeting that anyone can buy at lumber yards and building-supply centers--and they almost destroyed Lynn.

At first we couldn't figure out why she has so many different and unrelated symptoms. She couldn't sleep, she had joint and muscle pain, couldn't digest food, couldn't think straight, had inflamed sinuses, her hair and nails became brittle, she had difficulty breathing, the odor of printing ink and new clothing bothered her. Then we heard about MCS, and realized that our award-winning house had made her sick. We found out that many doctors have never heard of MCS, and that some simply don't believe it's a valid medical condition. On the other hand, hundreds of doctors specialize in treating MCS, and they see thousands of patients every day. For a referral, contact the American Academy of Environmental Medicine[...]

Since learning about MCS, and how bad the air is in most houses, we've devoted out lives to spreading the word about why houses make people sick and, more importantly, how to create healthy houses. We've found that, even though many everyday materials are unhealthy, there are hundreds of other products that are inert. This book discusses those healthy alternatives and includes addresses for some that you may have difficulty finding locally. Many of our answers include numbers in parentheses that refer to other questions and answers containing additional relevant information.

We've found that every question has two answers, a short one a long one. For example, it's possible to answer a particular question with either a single sentence, or an entire book. What follows are relatively short answers, but they're certainly not incomplete. By following the advice given in these pages, you can definitely improve the healthfulness of your house and your family--often considerably.

Even if you're after more in-depth information, this is an excellent book to start with, because it will give you an overall background in all aspects of healthy housing. John and Lynn Marie Bower, The Healthy House Institute

Edition details

• Publisher: Healthy House Inst
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 096371564X
• ISBN 13: 9780963715647
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192