Environmental Design and Inspection Services
Oram Miller, BBEI
Certified Building Biology Environmental Inspector
“EMF” Consultant
11693 San Vicente Blvd., #342
Los Angeles, California 90049
Phone 310.720.7686
info@createhealthyhomes.com
www.createhealthyhomes.com
Tips for a Healthy Home
Improve Indoor Air Quality
These tips for a healthy home are based upon recommendations taught by the
International Institute of Bau-biologie and Ecology (IBE), Clearwater, Florida
(727-461-4371; www.buildingbiology.net ) and comprise the material covered in
the author’s Healthy Home lectures. They are also based upon his experience
from almost five hundred environmental home and office inspections conducted
in Minnesota and ten other states over the past several years.
The Twenty-Five Principles of Bau-biologie are presented at the end of these
recommendations, as taught by the IBE.
For tips on making your home and office safer from harmful Electro-Magnetic
Fields (“EMFs”) as well as Radio Frequencies from wireless communications, go
to Oram’s website, www.createhealthyhomes.com and click on “Tips for a
Healthy Home,” then click on the link to the handout entitled, “Reduce Your
Exposure to Electric Fields, Magnetic Fields and Radio Frequencies (EMFs).”
For tips on ways to remodel an existing home or office in a healthy way without
making you or your family sick, or to design and build a new building in a safe
and healthy way, go to Oram’s website, www.createhealthyhomes.com and click
on “Tips for a Healthy Home,” then click on the link to the handout entitled,
“Recommendations for Healthy Renovations and New Home Construction.”
Avoid Mold by Doing the Following:
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For a mold clean-up protocol, see below, after this section.
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Providing adequate runoff for rooftop rainwater takes care of 90% of mold
problems in a basement. Keep rain gutters clear of debris and downspouts
in good working order. Make sure downspout extenders end at least
several feet away from the foundation so that rainwater does not pool near
the foundation.
Berm (or slope) the earth that is around the house so that there is at least
a 5-10 degree slope for rainwater to drain away, not towards, the
foundation.
If the ground around your house generally slopes toward your foundation
on any side, install drain tile under the soil to carry excess rainwater away.
Don’t let a sprinkler spray directly against the side of the house.
Plant your flowerbeds and shrubs somewhat away from the house if you
water them regularly.
In warmer weather, increase cross ventilation to the outdoors from your
basement or crawl space.
In the winter, keep the basement or crawl space warmer than the
temperature of the soil on the other side of the foundation or the crawl
space stem wall, which is usually 55-60 degrees F. below frost line. This
avoids condensation from forming on the inside of the stem wall.
Make sure air ducts that run in a basement or crawl space are tightly
sealed with mastic tape. This avoids moist indoor air from leaking out in
winter, which would allow moisture to condense on basement or crawl
space walls, causing mold.
Do a good job of insulating any air ducts that run in your attic to avoid
condensation and mold inside the ducts during hot summer days.
Make your attic cooler in summer by adding tiny thermal radiant beads to
(non-toxic) paint and applying this paint to the underside of your roof.
Made by Radiosity Radiant Barriers (www.radiosity.biz ).
Install solar powered roof fans, available from your local green materials
retailer.
The roof should act much like an umbrella over the enclosed, insulated
living space under the attic floor. The roof needs to be vented along its
peak through a roof ridge vent and around its edges at the soffits to allow
the attic to breathe, using plastic air chutes. You should feel a slight
breeze blowing through a well-vented attic when the wind blows.
Seal all air penetrations to the attic from the living space below to avoid
warm indoor air from entering the attic in winter. If warm air enters a cold
attic, it causes snow to melt on the roof, run down the roof, and refreeze at
the lower edges where the roof is cold once again over the overhangs and
soffits. This is how ice dams are formed. More melting snow then pools
behind the ice dam and the water migrates under roofing shingles,
dripping onto insulation in the attic below and causing mold to grow. You
see this as discoloration on your room ceilings and along the tops of your
outer walls. You can prevent this by sealing all air penetrations into our
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attic from the living space below, including the installation of weather
stripping around your attic hatch and sealing around chimneys and pipes.
Ventilate any rooms with excess moisture to the outside, such as
bathrooms during and after showering. Do not vent exhaust fans into the
attic. Consider installing a timer switch on your bathroom exhaust fan.
Choose whole house central air humidifiers for use in winter in which
water flows-through, rather than models that blow air past a pan of
stationary water. The latter can harbor mold, sending it throughout the
house with the air stream. Aprilaire is one such manufacturer of flowthrough central humidifiers (608-257-8801; www.aprilaire.com ).
Keep your central air conditioner well maintained and have an HVAC
contractor inspect and clean the condenser coils with a cleanser to avoid
mold. Be sure the cleanser is non-toxic.
Make sure window air conditioners drain the condensate water away from
your house onto the ground outdoors, not onto a porch below.
Inspect and clean refrigerator drain pans regularly for standing water and
mold growth.
Make sure all drainage hoses from air conditioner HVAC condenser units
and whole house humidifiers in the basement actually end over a floor
drain, not a few feet from them. Otherwise you end up with a perpetual
wet spot on the basement cement floor that will support mold growth.
Consider purchasing an indoor air purifier. The unit that I recommend is an
ozone-generating air purifier called the Royal Air air purifier (330-7753014; www.royalairpurifiers.com ). The Royal Air makes no detectable
nitrous oxide by-products as it creates abundant quantities of healthpromoting higher weights of oxygen (O4 to O16). Research shows that
nitrous oxide by-products are the cause of damage to the lung lining, not
ozone itself. Nitrous oxide by-products are created by an electronic spark
(which burns at 900 to 1,000 degrees F) as well as some frequencies of
UV light. Both these technologies are used in other ozone-generating air
purifiers but not the Royal Air. The Royal Air instead uses a “cold fusion”
process (only 110 degrees F) to generate higher weights of oxygen, all
without moving parts. Three independent outside laboratories have
documented that the Royal Air does not create any detectable amounts of
unhealthy nitrous oxide by-products. Call the R&D Department at Royal
Air (330-775-3014) to get the full story. Also go to Royal Air’s website
(www.royalairpurifiers.com ) and click on the link, “What Is Aran” to read
how ozone produced without nitrous oxides is safe. Purchase a Royal Air
air purifier through Dawn Radibaugh, 651-269-0347.
Mold Clean-Up Protocol
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Dry out and clean up any water leaks ASAP, such as from a plumbing leak
or rainwater intrusion into your house. The EPA says you have 24-48
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hours to dry out the porous building materials before mold begins to grow
to the point of no return. After that, even when dry, porous materials
should be removed, discarded and replaced because even dry, dormant
mold spores still remain and can be allergenic. They also carry toxic
mycotoxins, that is, toxins produced by the mold when it was alive. Also if
the area becomes wet again, mold will regrow quicker than 48 hours.
Be sure to fix the water intrusion problem first.
Homeowners can repair small mold jobs themselves if the affected area is
generally less than ten square feet by following the guidelines in “A Brief
Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home”
(www.epa.gov/iaq/mold/moldguide.html ) and “Mold Remediation in
Schools and Commercial Buildings”
(www.epa.gov/mold/mold_remediation.html ).
Be sure to wear a well-fitting N-95 respirator mask and protective goggles.
Wear old clothing that you can discard or launder in hot water.
Seal off the mold infested room or area with plastic and seal the air vents
into and out of the room. Put a fan in the window and blow the air out, so
you in effect create negative pressure in the room. This is to avoid mold
spores from spreading throughout the house, turning a small, confined job
into a much bigger one.
You must be prepared for the fact that billions of mold spores could
potentially be released into the air when you start opening up and
demolishing mold-infested sheetrock, insulation, and tearing up moldy
carpet and padding.
All porous materials that became wet must go, even if they are now dry.
Through all infested materials out the window. Do not drag them through
the rest of the house. Cut moldy carpet and padding in strips, roll it up,
bag it, and discard it out the window.
Once you are down to solid, structural surfaces that must stay (studs,
sheathing, subflooring, concrete slab in the basement), use non-toxic
alternatives to bleach to kill and inhibit mold growth. Here are your
options:
Vital Oxide (www.vitaloxide.com/ )
Vital Oxide is a non-toxic disinfectant
and mold remover. Well-tolerated by chemically-sensitive individuals. Safe
and effective.
Available at local hardware stores.
Another good mold cleanser and mold killer is Thieves Oil, one of the
Young Living Essential Oils (www.youngliving.com/thieves ). Thieves Oil is
an historically effective blend of essential oils that has been shown to kill
mold and inhibit its growth. It is applied in a diffuser or sprayed on as a
topical non-toxic mold-killing cleanser. When diffused into the air it kills all
mold spores on exposed surfaces. Thieves Oil and Thieves Oil Cleanser
are available nationally through Linda Weber, a Young Living distributor in
Bloomington, Minnesota (612-598-3949; lindawm@q.com ).
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Another non-toxic mold cleanser and mold killer is Sol-u-Mel, containing
Tea Tree or Melaleuca oil
(www.melaleuca.com/ProductStore/ProductSubCategory.aspx?id=54 ).
Sol-u-Mel is used now exclusively by F.E.M.A. on all their flood relief jobs
nationwide for mold cleanup and prevention. Contact your local
representative of The Wellness Company (www.melaleuca.com ). Be
sure to use a good scrub brush. Some mold experts say all you really
need is a good surfactant (that is, a detergent – any non-toxic general
purpose cleanser would work) and a scrub brush to lift the mold off.
 HydrOxi Pro Concentrated Cleaner
(www.coreproductsco.com/index.php/Concentrated_Cleaner ) is made by
Core Products. It is a non-toxic hydrogen peroxide-based mold cleanser
and mold killer; 800-825-2673.
 Hazarid (www.hazarid.com ) is a safe user-friendly mold remediation kit
for homeowners. It also kills Swine Flu and SARS.
This product is
especially useful if you have a bigger mold infestation. The fungicidal
product used is a quarternary ammonium compound known as Sanifect128 that requires some degree of protection when applying (equipment
provided in the kit) but it does not leave a toxic residue.
You can have a
local contractor professionally treat your mold for you using Hazarid and
carry out any demolition and remodeling necessary if it is a particularly
large job, or you can apply it yourself.
Shipped from St. Paul, Minnesota;
651-698-0454.
 Additional mold killers and inhibitors include:
 H2Orange2 Concentrate 117 and ONE
(http://www.h2orange2.com/products-genl-pur-cleaning.asp ). These are
two products made by Envirox. Concentrate 117 must be diluted, while
ONE can be used full strength.
 Mold Control 500 From Scott's Liquid Gold,
(http://www.natlallergy.com/prod/1850/mold-control-500-from-scotts-liquidgold.html ), distributed by National Allergy Supply.
 SafeChoice X-158, (http://www.afmsafecoat.com/products.php?page=5 ),
made by AFM. From the website: "SafeChoice X-158 is a premium quality,
clear coating for prophylactic use on surfaces where mold and might
appear. It is not a cleaning agent, but a clear defensive sealer designed to
encapsulate surfaces which would typically be subject to mold and mildew
attack."
 Vacuum all surfaces with a HEPA vacuum cleaner once you have done
the demolition and clean up. Be sure to have the room vented to the
outside with a fan in the window when you do this and wear your mask.
 Then you are ready to rebuild. Be sure to use non-toxic paints and
adhesives (see below).
 For larger jobs, consult a professional mold remediator. You can consult
the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification
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(http://www.iicrc.org ) for a list of certified cleaning and restoration experts
in your area.
Reduce Indoor Airborne Particulates by Doing the Following:
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Avoid spun fiberglass furnace filters. Upgrade to pleated air filters and
change them more frequently than the manufacturer recommends, ideally
every one to two months (versus every three months, as recommended by
most manufacturers).
Install an air-to-air heat exchanger, also known as a “Heat Recovery
Ventilator.” They provide several fresh air exchanges per hour of stale
indoor air with fresh outdoor air without significant loss of heat in the
winter, and they keep out the heat in the summer. If you live in warmer
southern climates, you should ideally purchase an Energy Recovery
Ventilator (as opposed to a Heat Recovery Ventilator), available from
RenewAire (800-627-4499; www.renewaire.com ) or Aprilaire (608-2578801; www.aprilaire.com ). Energy Recovery Ventilators supply abundant
fresh air while keeping out heat and humidity in summer, and keeping in
heat and humidity in winter.
Have your air ducts cleaned throughout the house if not done so within the
past three to five years. This will eliminate accumulated dust and mold and
improve your indoor air quality. Have this done again in another three to
five years, or more often if occupants are symptomatic. Important: Ask
the serviceman to vacuum only. Do not let them spray toxic bactericide or
fungicide into the air ducts. The serviceman will do this automatically if you
do not tell them not to. These chemicals are toxic to you, as well as to
microorganisms and fungi.
Metal air ducts are best for forced air heating systems. If you need to
install flexible air ducts, choose cotton-lined semi-flexible air ducts over
fiberglass-insulated flexible air ducts. Cotton-insulated semi-flexible air
ducts are made by Superior Air Ducts in Houston (713-682-3828;
www.superiorairducts.com ). The plastic lining is tough enough for the
ducts to be professionally cleaned by a duct cleaning company, which is
not possible with fiberglass-lined ducts because the lining is too thin and
can easily be punctured. That is a real plus for Superior’s air ducts as far
as we are concerned.
Have an HVAC contractor remove and replace the fiberglass panels that
line the plenum of your HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioner)
unit. These panels contain low-grade spun fiberglass, the fibers of which
are carried in the air stream that passes through this chamber in the
furnace. Replace with Tekfoil or similar non-fiber insulation, preferably
placed on the outside of the unit, if thermal and sound insulation are still
needed. Some HVAC manufacturers are looking into lining their plenums
with cotton insulation, not fiberglass.
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Purchase a good quality HEPA vacuum cleaner, such as from the Miele
company, with good-fitting seals. Whole-house vacuum cleaners are the
best, because they are vented to the outdoors.
Avoid wall-to-wall carpeting. It collects and traps pesticides brought in on
the soles of your shoes, dead cells from your skin that feed dust mites,
and dust, and is a breeding ground for mold when the relative humidity
rises above 65%. Also formaldehyde, used as a color fixative, and glues
used in carpet backing can outgas for years, not just a few weeks after
installation. Instead use carpeting with woven jute backing and no
formaldehyde. Better yet, choose solid surface flooring that will outlast
wall-to-wall carpeting by decades. Cover them with area rugs that can be
periodically shaken and aired out. Start a “no shoes inside” policy with
your family so that street shoes are left at the door; use slippers indoors.
Reduce Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Other Sources
of Ill Health in Indoor Air by Doing the Following:
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Avoid particleboard at all costs for kitchen cabinets, counters, bathroom
enclosures, and furniture.
Store unused solvents (all of which contain volatile compounds) in a
sealed cabinet, preferably in an outbuilding or storage shed rather than in
your basement or attached garage. Better yet, only purchase as much as
you need and safely discard the remainder rather than leaving it around.
Choose all-natural upholstery, draperies, throw rugs and bedding
whenever possible. Natural fibers generate beneficial negative ions,
keeping you more alert, and they avoid outgassing from plastic fabrics.
Harmful positive ions in indoor air, which cause fatigue, are generated
from plastics used in nylon carpeting, latex paints and synthetic
upholstery, draperies and bedding.
Avoid new plastic shower curtains. They are made with polyvinyl chloride
(PVC), which contain plasticizers, known as “phthalate.” Phthalates make
the rigid PVC more soft and flexible. They are known to aggravate
asthma, particularly in children, and they can cause cancer. If you already
own a plastic shower curtain that is several months old, you can keep it
because it has already done its damage and is no longer outgassing.
When you need to replace it, however, purchase a cotton shower curtain
instead and wash it regularly. They are sold by Healthy Homes
(www.healthyhomes.com ) and other healthy product retailers.
Always choose natural cleansers over synthetic ones. Avoid cleaning
products with fragrance and perfume. Avoid plug-in electric room
deodorizers.
It is especially important to avoid fragranced dryer sheets and fabric
softeners. Read the article, “Health Risks of Fabric Softeners,” from the
website for the Allergy and Environmental Health Association, Ottawa
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Branch (www.aeha.ca/help-with.htm ). These products emit petroleumbased fragrances that are known neurotoxins and endocrine-mimicers.
They disrupt the normal hormonal pathways, causing developmental
damage in children and a long list of acute and chronic illnesses in people
of all ages. They should be avoided at all costs.
Likewise avoid drinking out of soft, number 1 or number 2 plastic bottles,
as they also contain phthalates that are known to cause cancer when
consumed. Use glass bottles instead and store your leftovers in glass
containers.
Never heat food in a plastic container in a microwave oven. This is
because plasticizers used in soft plastic containers or food wrap can get
into the food when cooked in a microwave and are considered to be
carcinogenic. There is evidence that microwave ovens seriously alter
basic nutrients, including proteins and fats, within food and beverages as
they are cooked. This makes them unrecognizable to the body as
nutrients and actually toxic. Studies in New Zealand show that children
raised on diets high in food cooked in a microwave oven have a
substantially higher degree of chronic health problems. We recommend
microwave ovens not be used to avoid these issues altogether. Use a
countertop toaster oven instead.
Avoid applying toxic, synthetic pesticides and insecticides in and around
your house. These products are harmful to you as well as to pests.
Choose natural pest management such as recommended by the
Biocontrol Network (www.biconet.com ) and in the book, “The Best
Control: Intelligent Pest Management” by Steve Tvedten
(www.thebestcontrol.com ).
Install a whole-house water filtration system to filter out chlorine and
agricultural chemicals from household water. Every time we shower with
unfiltered water, our skin absorbs as much chlorine as if we drank an
eight-ounce glass of tap water. Backflush the water filter on the shower
head at the frequency recommended by the manufacturer. Keep underthe-sink RO units well maintained and change the filters regularly.
Avoid opening your dishwasher right after the cycle is complete and turn
off the electric heat element during the drying cycle (which also saves
energy). That way you avoid letting chlorine and chemicals in traditional
detergent from entering the indoor air. Use all-natural dishwashing
detergent.
Avoid hanging newly dry cleaned clothes in your bedroom. Hang them
outdoors if possible, or in a laundry room or utility room, to let the
perchlorates outgas for a few hours.
In general, if you purchase an existing home, choose one that is older
than five to eight years old. This gives the house enough time for the
indoor materials to thoroughly outgas. A new home less than five to eight
years old is still outgassing some of its materials. It is better to consult with
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a Building Biologist to choose non-toxic materials when you build a new
home in the first place.
Likewise, choose non-toxic materials whenever you remodel, because to
live in your home while it is being remodeled with traditional materials will
expose you and your family to very harmful airborne chemicals. There are
healthier options available to avoid this. For more information go to
Oram’s website, www.createhealthyhomes.com and click on “Tips for a
Healthy Home,” then click on the link to the handout entitled,
“Recommendations for Healthy Renovations and New Home
Construction.”
Consultations are available from Oram Miller, BBEI for healthy home evaluations
conducted both personally onsite as well as long distance over the telephone.
Contact him at 310.720.7686 or at info@createhealthyhomes.com. You can also
go to his website, www.createhealthyhomes.com for more information.
Oram Miller, BBEI
Certified Building Biology® Environmental Inspector
11693 San Vicente Blvd., #342
Los Angeles, California 90049
Tel 310.720.7686
www.createhealthyhomes.com
info@createhealthyhomes.com
The Twenty-Five Principles of Bau-Biologie
Building Biology, translated from the word “Bau-biologie,” was pioneered in
Germany over thirty years ago and is taught in the U.S.A. by the International
Institute for Bau-biologie and Ecology (IBE), Clearwater, Florida (727-461-4371;
www.buildingbiology.net). The principles upon which the teachings of Building
Biology are based are as follows:
1. A building site shall be geologically undisturbed.
2. Residential homes are best located away from industrial centers and
main traffic routes.
3. Housing shall be developed in a decentralized and loose manner
interlaced with sufficient green space.
4. Housing and developments shall be personalized, in harmony with
nature, fit for human habitation and family oriented.
5. Natural and unadulterated building materials shall be used.
6. Walls, floors and ceilings shall be diffusible and hygroscopic.
7. Indoor air humidity shall be regulated naturally.
8. Air pollutants need to be filtered and neutralized.
9. An appropriate balance of thermal insulation and heat retention is
needed.
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10. The air and surface temperatures of a given room need to be
optimized.
11. A heating system shall feature radiant heat using as much (passive)
solar heat as possible.
12. The total moisture content of a new building shall be low and dry out
quickly.
13. A building shall have a pleasant or neutral smell. No toxins shall
outgas.
14. Light, lighting and color shall be in accord with natural conditions.
15. Protective measures against noise pollution as well as infrasonic and
ultrasonic vibrations need to be human oriented.
16. Only building materials with little or preferably no radioactivity shall be
used.
17. The natural balance of atmospheric electricity and ion concentration
shall be maintained.
18. The Earth’s natural magnetic field shall not be altered or distorted.
19. Man-made electromagnetic radiation shall be eliminated (or reduced
as much as possible).
20. Cosmic and terrestrial radiation is essential and shall be interfered with
as little as possible.
21. Interior and furniture design shall be based on physiological findings.
22. Harmonic measures, proportions and shapes need to be taken into
consideration.
23. The production, installation and disposal of building materials shall not
contribute to environmental pollution and high energy costs.
24. Building activities shall not contribute to the exploitation of nonrenewable and rare resources.
25. Building activities shall not cause a rise in social and medical costs.
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