Home Remodeling Action & Awareness Week October 12 - 18, 2008

Note to Extension Educators: For additional educational materials and resources, please refer to the Hidden Environmental Hazards for the Home Remodeler Instructional Module from our Training Manual. 

Radio Release (90 sec.)

Health Hazards & Remodeling

Contacts:  [Insert name, agency, telephone number]
For Immediate Release [Insert date]

Planning to remodel or renovate your home this year? There can be some hidden environmental health hazards if the work is not done carefully. This is especially true in older homes. The good news is that in many cases, a few simple measures can reduce these hazards. 

What are some of these hazards? In older homes, these can include things like lead in old paint, as well as asbestos in old insulation and a variety of other products. Any home with a moisture problem, past or present, can have a mold problem, possibly inside of walls. This can be a health risk when walls are opened up and mold is released into the air. 

One thing that most of these pollutants have in common is dust. So dust control is a good start in protecting occupants and workers. If asbestos is to be disturbed, special requirements may be involved. Make sure that your contractor is qualified or licensed to deal with asbestos, and that the necessary permits have been obtained. 

If lead paint is to be disturbed (a good chance if the building was built before 1978) this is a special risk to young children. Free courses in lead-safe work practices are available in some areas of the country. Excellent print material on this topic is also available. Contact your local office of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development for information on both of these. 

With some knowledge and a bit of extra work, health risks from remodeling can be kept to a minimum.

PRess Release

Remodeling  and Risks to Your Health

Planning to remodel or renovate your home? Give some thought to the environmental health hazards that might be in or on your walls. A few precautions during the job can keep things healthier for occupants and workers, too.

What sort of hazards do you need to be concerned about? One of these is lead paint, common in homes built before 1978. Opening up walls, removing moldings, replacing windows and especially exterior painting, can produce a lot of lead contamination. Even careful cleanup might not be adequate. Tiny amounts of lead dust, or a few small paint chips, if swallowed by young children, can cause lifelong learning and behavioral problems.

If you are working on an older house, you can assume there is lead paint present, although testing can also be done.  Using lead-safe work practices provides a good  approach to minimizing contamination and hazards. (Research has shown that site protection is more reliable than depending on a good cleanup afterwards.) Information on proper work practices is available from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Courses are available at some locations around the country. This agency also provides an excellent free booklet detailing safe work practices http://www.hud.gov/offices/lead/training/LBPguide.pdf.

Asbestos represents another potential hazard - especially in older homes, where it can be found in pipe, duct, and furnace insulation, regular insulation, and various other products such as floor coverings, asbestos- cement siding  and even spackling compound. If demolition will result in disturbing such materials, state and federal regulations may be involved, so make sure this work is done by qualified persons. Amateur attempts at removal can create serious environmental contamination in the home.

Wet or damp conditions in buildings, either current or past, can led to mold growth. Opening up walls with such contamination can cause problems for workers and occupants, especially the young, the elderly and those with special health problems. Such work needs to be done carefully, and if large contamination is involved - more than 10 square feet or so - expert assistance may be needed (although bleach solution can kill mold, the dead spores can still be harmful; such material must be carefully removed.)

A common denominator for many types of remodeling health risks is dust. So health risks in any remodeling  project can be reduced by careful attention to dust control. Some general ways to control dust include isolating the work area from the rest of the house: sealing doors and air ducts in the work area; removing furnishings, etc. from the work area and covering items that can’t be removed; and using demolition methods that keep dust to a minimum.

Another way to reduce the heath impact of remodeling  is to choose or specify “friendly" materials, such as “Low VOC" (Volatile Organic Compounds) paints, adhesives and coatings. Ask about certified carpeting that has low emissions. It is also helpful if carpeting can be unrolled in a protected location before installation. Such “airing out” can allow most of the new carpet fumes to escape.

While the above measures may involve some extra time, effort and work, the result will be a healthier environment for your family.

Mold & Your Health radio release (30 sec.)

There has been a lot of media attention about the health effects of mold in the last few years. While mold can cause some health problems, many health officials feel that media reports have blown things out of proportion.

In the Spring of 2004, the Institute of Medicine released the results of a report on the health effects of mold, as reviewed by a team of experts. In their work, they reviewed a large number of research studies, looking for evidence of the connection between mold exposure and health problems.

Their main conclusion, based on an extensive review of medical research  studies, was that there is strong evidence linking mold exposure to asthma and allergy attacks. Also, there are some well- known health effects linked to mold and persons with special sensitivities or with occupational exposures.

Beyond this, it was concluded that there is little firm evidence linking mold and severe health effects that are sometimes blamed on mold exposure.

So the conclusion of this review of medical research literature is that, while moldy buildings are not good places to live, it is unlikely that severe illness will result from mold exposure.

If you have a mold problem in your home, it may be necessary to get professional help if it is a large problem (covering more than about ten square feet.) But it is a good idea to learn something about mold before hiring someone to fix the problem. Some good resources include your local Health Department, and the Cooperative Extension office in your county. Print materials may be available from the above sources, and also from the US Environmental Protection Agency. Their booklets include “A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home” and the longer “Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings".

Joseph T. Ponessa, Ph.D.
Associate Professor/Housing and Energy Specialist
Rutgers Cooperative Extension