Envirologics Design-Build

George has been building and teaching healthy building practices for many years; come to learn about green building in general, or specifically to learn healthy building practices. More infor mation at www.geoswan.com

Question

Kathleen wrote:
I saw your e-mail address on the MCS-Global website.
Just in case you could help us, I’ll ask….
Do you know of areas in Texas where chemically sensitive people have done better with their health? I see your specialty is the actual housing, which we may need at some point. But right now we’re trying to locate an area that would be more “healthy” for my husband who has MCS.
Thanks,
Kathy

Answer

Well the only thing we know for sure in Houston has one of the worst air qualities in the world, so not there. I think in general the rest has to be look at by location - depending on sensitivities.

Most important is to look and see where the trade winds come from, and what is upwind from there. In general, prevailing winds in TX are NW during the winter and SSE for the rest.

Now to find out what industries are upwind from you
http://scorecard.org/
This website is a great resource in general to find out more about things we dont think generally affect us, like a concrete plant. Consider also allergens - molds, cedar, pollens and such. I had an mcs client that smoked but got send for spin if he took a whiff of pine.

Have you worked out a comprehensive plan for your husband? Using natural products at home and organic diets has a tremendous impact, and i have seen many recover, including myself.

Im sure you know you can think more clearly than him, he is lucky to have an understanding and helping partner!

A few documents of interest

Chemical Sensitivites documents
Chemical Sensitivities for beginners
Chemical Sensitivities-resources

If you need more help let me know, i do consults in all aspects of mcs.

Thank you,
Andres Schulz
www.envirologics.com

Question

In http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/buildhealthy, Gretchen wrote:

Hello, We have an acoustical ceiling in a mobile home…it appears to made from a paper product. We need to use a stain blocker, then paint the ceiling. We know of Bin by Zinser for stainblocking. The ceiling is now painted with ‘flat’ paint.

Also, we are going to paint the closets with a formeldehyde blocking product. We have used Bin in the past. My husband is very sensitive to it, so is there another product you’d recommend?

We are also redoing the floors. Some areas of the subfloor(fiberboard) will need patching. We have plywood, which seems o.k. for us.

Also, the shelves in the closets are made from a fiberboard material which seems to be coated. Should we replace the shelves with Fir which does not outgas?

We will need to use caulk, wood filler, and other products to repair, maintain and upgrade this home. (It is a 1975 Viking mobile home).

Of course, it is not insulated well…is there a product we could affix to the paneling, like a wall paper? Some people replace the paneling with drywall, but I don’t know if we could do that and live in here at the same time.

People recommend that we replace this old home with a new one(toxic!), but we are in a situation in which our HOA is not friendly, so we feel that we have no choice but to fix this up and eventually sell it and then move to our ‘non-toxic’ home.

Thanks for any information.

Answer

Mobile homes are inherently toxic, that’s is a goal of mine, to build modular with good materials. Will keep you posted. But an older one is certainly better than a new one.

For any kind of sealants look at AFM products; they also have caulks.
afm safecoat products
For products also look at www.natl-life.com

The alternative is to remove anything that is offensive, not cover it up.
If you can find a local green building supplier, you can always try small samples of these products, remember everyone is different so there are no absolute solutions.

A product that seems to work for everyone - is alumna foil. Its not pretty, you cant paint it, but it seals and it doesn’t off-gas.
Here is a good list of these materials - i used to sell green building materials so this is from my old website
environmental depot

Again, if any of these interest you, talk to the people at www.natl-life.com or another green building supplier.

A few documents of interest

Chemical Sensitivites documents
Chemical Sensitivities for beginners
Chemical Sensitivities-resources

If you need more help let me know, i do consults in all aspects of mcs.

Thank you,
Andres Schulz
www.envirologics.com