Is Your Home Toxic?

Ever noticed a ‘sweet’ smell when you open your empty kitchen or bathroom cupboard? That’s formaldehyde you’re smelling. What’s that? Read on to find out how this sweet smell is poison to your family.

Many building products, particularly wood products, may contain a toxic, cancer producing chemical called formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a colourless, flammable gas that has a very distinct smell. It is commonly used in the manufacturing of resins during the production of pressed wood products. Exposure to formaldehyde may occur through either inhalation or skin contact, but most commonly through inhalation.

Formaldehyde affects people differently, as some are more sensitive to it than others, but the most common health implications include eye, nose, throat and skin irritation, as well as asthma and allergies. In severe cases, resulting from prolonged exposure to high levels of formaldehyde a person may experience decreased body weight, gastrointestinal ulcers, liver and kidney damage and dermatitis. Prolonged exposure to high levels of formaldehyde have been shown in Europe to increase an individual’s chance of developing cancer.

Formaldehyde may be present within a range of composite and liquid products including:

 

Manufacturing materials	Building materials	Timber materials
plastics foam insulation fungicides mirrors insecticides resins	sheet vinyl flooring doors decking panelling particleboard fibreboard carpets carpet backings some insulation products paints	plywood laminated timber wall lining coverings and wall paper

Whilst low levels of formaldehyde may not result in any health impacts for some individuals, others may find that they are highly sensitive to the chemical. For those wishing to minimise the presence of formaldehyde in the building products used within the family home it is recommended that they:

• choose products from the wide range of verified and certified products on the Ecospecifier website (ecospecifier.com.au) that have all passed a detailed human and eco-toxicity analysis.
• choose products that contain phenolic-based formaldehyde resins, compared to urea formaldehyde resins, as they emit much less formaldehyde, typically rated at E0 (on a E00, E0, E1, E2 scale where E2 is the highest and should, along with unrated composite wood products, be avoided at all costs). These include plywood, panelling, particleboard and fibreboard.
• choosing higher quality exterior-grade pressed-wood building products even for internal use, as they are likely to be E0 rated (very low emission);
• ensure that rooms have efficient ventilation and low humidity levels, can be achieved through the use of air conditioning and dehumidifiers, particularly after installing a new carpet;
• minimise using products that contain formaldehyde and if possible eliminate any presence of formaldehyde.

Explore more about the product ranges that have been eco-certified and listed by Ecospecifier, by using the Product Search Engine on Ecospecifier Global: http://www.ecospecifier.com.au

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How To Keep Termites Outside And Your Money In

In Australia, termites cause more extensive damage than all natural hazards combined, and of course termite damage often isn’tcovered by home insurance, so it is natural to want to make sure your home is protected from termites … but how?  What is the best type? What is also safest for your family?

There are two main types of termite prevention, physical and chemical. No matter how you dress up chemicals designed to control termite populations, their inherent nature is one of harm and there is no way around it. For parents with small children, families with pets, expectant mothers or simply those who desire increased peace of mind, the physical barrier method of keeping termites out is the best choice for you. There are also some chemicals that are designed only to affect termites specifically.

Chemical barriers

A chemical barrier is a termite barrier that involves applying chemicals to mediums surrounding the home (e.g. applied to the building’s perimeter and/or foundations, applied between plastic sheets and laid under or in buildings floors or walls, or simply applied to the soil via sprays or permanent pipework that allows replenishing from time to time).

Advantages

• Can be used at any stage of the buildings life (although once a concrete floor is laid only permanent piping laid under the slab enables re-application over time)
• The chemicals can be slow acting allowing affected termites to infect other termites in its colony (depending on chemical used);
• Specific chemicals can affect insects only and not have any affect on humans or the environment (e.g. Bayer’s ‘Premise’);

Disadvantages

• Some are potentially harmful for your family and environment particularly birds and creeks;
• Most approved chemicals today require re-application every 5-10 years and therefore require some means of re-application. Just spaying under a slab and hoping it will last the life of the building is no longer an option (the chemicals that could last that long were also highly toxic to people and the environment and have been banned for many years);
• Application to existing buildings without permanent pipework in place may require a trench dug all around the building to 500mm deep and access holes drilled every 1 metre or so throughout the whole floor to allow the chemicals to be pumped in underneath concrete slabs etc.
• Can be disrupted by external activities (e.g. landscaping).

Physical barriers

A physical barrier is made of a solid material that termites cannot penetrate, A layer is placed underneath the floor or within the foundations and walls of the home. Unlike chemical barriers; physical barriers rely on their unique design and composition to physically prevent termites from getting through. Physical barriers are usually composed of metal e.g. stainless steel mesh, or metal/polymer sandwich (e.g. Alcor), crushed rock (e.g. GranitGard) or similar materials that termites cannot chew or move through and they need regular inspections to ensure the termites do not build around them. Physical barriers need to project out beyond the structure, be unbroken and continuous and be visible in the walls and over piers.

Advantages

• No health or environmental concerns regarding chemicals, this is especially relevant for the vulnerable members of the population e.g. expectant mothers, the elderly, the young and household pets;
• Properly installed physical barriers are significantly more effective than chemical treatments provided they are inspected regularly;
• Once implemented, there is no need for re-treating as they are permanent.

Disadvantages

• Generally only can be installed during the construction of new buildings or on extensions of existing buildings (however some can be retrofitted to existing buildings);
• Must be continuous and properly installed or will not work (same as any termite barrier really);
• Do not kill termites;
• Require regular inspection.

Hybrid Systems

Hybrid systems are a subset of physical barriers, where the actual materials of which the barrier is comprised is an insecticide chemical laden textile, sandwiched between 2 layers of polyethylene plastic (e.g. Trithor/Smartfilm and Jinhong Termite Barriers). They have all the features of a physical barrier and the benefits of a chemical barrier, but because the chemical is trapped between layers of plastic, it has fewer of the toxicity concerns for people and the environment.

There are obvious advantages and disadvantages for the various methods of termite management, deciding what is best for you depends entirely on your needs and concerns. For more information, check out http://www.ecospecifier.com.au.

Explore more about the product ranges that have been eco-certified and listed by Ecospecifier, by using the Product Search Engine on Ecospecifier Global: http://www.ecospecifier.com.au

Also, join us in more conversations about green products and sustainability issues on our social media pages:

Follow Ecospecifier on Facebook

Follow Ecospecifier on Twitter

Follow Ecospecifier on LinkedIn

Join our Social Media Honour Roll – support the switch to green products

Like, Comment and Share our blogs and posts on your social media pages … and we will send your name out to more than 15,000 subscribers via our monthly Ecospecifier Global Newsletter.

See which stellar individuals, businesses and networks made the latest Honour Roll on Twitter and Facebook HERE We salute you in helping us educate and help more people #MaketheSwitch to #EcoResponsible products.

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