[sudo-discuss] Accessibility Liaison?
Patrik D'haeseleer
patrikd at gmail.com
Tue Apr 21 17:34:12 PDT 2015
There are a few pages online that provide recommendations for building
materials for people with multiple chemical sensitivities.
*http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/helping-people-multiple-chemical-sensitivity
<http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/helping-people-multiple-chemical-sensitivity>*
Recommendations to architects and builders
If you are tempted to take on a client with multiple chemical sensitivity,
here are some guidelines:
- Don’t give health advice. Remember, you are not a doctor.
- Don’t make any health claims for a house you build.
- Don’t propose specific materials as “safe.” It’s better to say, “If
you or your doctor provides a list of the substances that need to be
avoided, I’ll do my best to comply with that list.”
- Manage expectations from the start. Make no promises related to your
client’s symptoms.
- Be sure to include a great deal of extra time in your construction
schedule for materials research and selection. A useful resource with
information on the ingredients found in building materials is the Pharos
database <http://www.pharosproject.net/> maintained by the Healthy
Building Network.
What materials should be avoided?
Since some people with multiple chemical sensitivity become ill when they
smell shampoo, it’s basically impossible to come up with a list of “safe”
building materials. That said, here are oft-repeated recommendations noted
by other writers:
- Ceramic tile is better than carpet.
- Linoleum is better than sheet vinyl.
- Low-VOC paints are better than conventional paints.
- Solid-wood furniture or cabinets are better than furniture containing
particleboard or plywood.
- It’s best to omit wood-burning stoves and fireplaces.
*http://www.nkba.org/Learn/Homeowners/Tips/Safety/DesigningAndBuildingWithChemicalSensitivity.aspx*
<http://www.nkba.org/Learn/Homeowners/Tips/Safety/DesigningAndBuildingWithChemicalSensitivity.aspx>
Common irritants include: cleaning agents (*bleach*, soaps and detergents),
paints, and varnishes (including sealants, caulks and glues), as well as
upholstery, carpet, furniture and cabinetry that have been treated or
manufactured with common chemicals such as formaldehyde resins (a known
carcinogen), pesticides and other toxic solvents.
- Natural hard surface flooring such as cork, linoleum, wood or tile
instead of carpeting, laminate or vinyl to minimize off-gassing and the
harboring of dust mites, mildew and/or bacteria.
- *Low/No VOC paints and finishes over their high VOC brethren – look
for third party certifications such as Green Seal (www.greenseal.org
<http://www.greenseal.org>) or Green Guard (www.greenguard.org
<http://www.greenguard.org>) for assurance of low VOC levels.*
- Vintage furniture has likely already off-gassed its toxic components
so consider buying used. If new furnishings is what you need, look for a
manufacturer’s membership in the Sustainable Furnishings Council (
www.sustainablefurnishings.org) which promotes the manufacturing of
sustainable, low toxicity products.
- Stock or semi-custom cabinetry that has earned the Environmental
Stewardship Program seal from the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association
(KCMA - www.greencabinetsource.org).
- Custom made cabinetry and furniture that uses only no added
formaldehyde plywood, particle board and/or medium density fiber board
(MDF) along with low VOC finishes and adhesives.
- Countertop materials that don’t contain high VOC glues, resins or
other toxic binding agents and can be maintained without the use of high
VOC sealants and cleaning agents.
- Untreated natural fibers such as wool, cotton, jute, etc. rather than
synthetic fiber materials for window coverings and furnishings.
- Materials that do not require toxic cleaning agents for routine
maintenance.
- Analyze and supplement, where necessary, the home’s ventilation
including upgrading kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans, installing a filter
on a forced air furnace and/or installing a room air exchanger.
Patrik
On Tue, Apr 21, 2015 at 4:24 PM, Ryan <yandoryn at gmail.com> wrote:
> Things that trigger chemical sensitivities and allergies are not
> necessarily things that are "smelly."
> In fact, they usually aren't.
>
> Good ventilation would be so awesome.
>
> Building materials is not short for dust. It's short for things you build
> with, such as lumber, paint, so on and so forth. The way that these are
> treated or produced or the materials themselves can be volatile, releasing
> things into the air that cause health issues for people.
> On Apr 21, 2015 4:18 PM, <hol at gaskill.com> wrote:
>
>> 4) set up/install fans/ventilation
>>
>> this is the number one thing we can do other than eliminating transient
>> point sources
>>
>> On 2015-04-21 15:14, Robert Benson wrote:
>>
>> are "building materials" short for construction dust? what are we
>> even taking about here? the most olfactory offensive substances i've
>> encountered we're compost methane - which has been fairly sever at times.
>>
>> things we could do:
>> 1) clean bleach all trash/compost bins/buckets
>> 2) sweep & mop all construction areas after work is done for the day.
>> 3) cover all building materials with tarps/cloth
>> 4) set up/install fans/ventilation
>> 5) make sure fans are on prior to events
>>
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