Building and Remodeling With Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

I wrote this article for Ecological Home Ideas magazine, but the magazine ceased publication before it was published.

Multiple Chemical Sensitivities is a physical condition in which the person experiences slight to severe symptoms in response high or low levels of exposure to various substances (mostly toxic petrochemicals), beyond the response that an ordinary health person would have to these same substances. That these chemicals are the cause of the symptoms is proven by the fact that the symptoms are relieved when the chemicals are not present. Over time, however, there is also immune system damage which can compromise overall health as well.

Because of this extraordinary sensitivity to chemicals, and the fact that most building products contain these very chemicals, this condition poses some challenges for building, remodeling, and decorating the interior of a home.

I first learned about MCS in 1978. At the time I had a strange combination of symptoms, which included insomnia, depression, fainting while taking a shower, fatigue, headaches, and binge eating. These all turned out to be responses to various toxic chemicals I was exposed to in my home. Insomnia was the result of sleeping on bed sheets with formaldehyde-based no-iron finishes, headaches were from wearing perfume and scented products, fainting in the shower was from the chloroform in the steam which is created when chlorine in the water interacts with various water pollutants. It was this experience with exposure to toxic substances that led me to research and write about safer alternatives, which has been my career for well over twenty years.

Because people with MCS need a safe environment in order to recover their health, many are forced to remodel to remove items such as particleboard, carpet, and other offenders from their homes. And, if they can afford to do so, some go on to build new homes from the ground up that are free of toxic chemicals.

I remodeled my first nontoxic home in 1985, in Inverness, California, a small cottage in a rural community on the Pacific Coast, just north of San Francisco. Then I got married and moved to another cottage in nearby Forest Knolls, where we did another nontoxic remodel, and then we moved across the country to Florida, where we have been remodeling two houses using nontoxic materials. Over the past two decades, IÕve helped hundreds of people with MCS remodel or build their houses to be nontoxic.

CHOOSING BUILDING PRODUCTS FOR MCS

For people with MCS, the primary ÒgreenÓ concern is health over environment. A person with MCS needs their home to be safe. The biggest problem is products that ÒoutgasÓ fumes of volatile toxic petrochemicals made from crude oil. Such fumes are often emitted from plastics,paints and finishes, particleboard and plywood, synthetic fabrics, adhesives, caulks, preserved woods used to make doors and windows, and other building and finishing materials. They are often hidden in places like particleboard subfloors or PVC interior doors. The average newly built or remodeled home is a minefield of toxic exposures to a person with MCS.

So the basic rule of thumb for choosing products is Òavoid products that contain toxic chemicals.Ó

But choosing safe products for someone with MCS often easier said than done. For an average healthy person, the building and finishing products for a nontoxic home environment could be chosen by reading the ingredient list and Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), which lists the hazardous materials (required by law). But people with MCS need to consider their own individual reactions to products as well, which may or may not have anything to do with the actual toxicity of the product.

There are many choices of paint, for example, including paints made from natural plant resins, clay, milk, or petrochemicals with low VOCs. One might consider the natural plant resin paint to be ÒbestÓ because it is made from renewable materials, however, the person with MCS might very well react to the volatile natural oils in the plant oils and resins used and would more easily tolerate the low-VOC paint, even though it is made from petrochemicals.

TAKE EXTRA CARE IN CHOOSING PRODUCTS

That one must take extra care in choosing products for people with MCS has been demonstrated to me many times over the years.

One of my first remodeling consultations was for a doctor who had many patients with MCS. I told him to use ceramic tile on the floor. But his wife wanted a vinyl floor tile with a particular pattern. He went with his wifeÕs desire for dŽcor instead of my recommendation, and none of his patients could come in the office! We had to rip out 2,000 feet of toxic floor and put down the ceramic tile before he could treat his patients again.

Suzanne Close from Arizona posted her story on my blog. Unfortunately, her experience is not unusual. ÒIf you have any chemical sensitivity at all, do not choose laminate flooring. We made that mistake in our last house. For the next full year plus, the toxic chemicals came up through the floor, through my socks, and through my rubber soled slippers into my feet and halfway up my calves. It felt awful. Even over a rug that we laid in the living room. That was after numerous cleanings with water and vinegar. Did I ever regret laying that awful laminate. It was an expensive one. Not a cheap laminate. Horrible stuff. Horrible mistake. We sold the houseÑpractically gave it away actually. Moved far away. Don't make the same mistake.Ó

These kinds of mistakes can be at least reduced, if not eliminated, by testing samples of products before installation. And it needs to be a large enough sample to be able to tell how toxic it is. A good test is to sleep with a material close to the bed and if there is no reaction overnight, then the material is considered safe.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Early on I learned that location is the number one most important factor for creating a nontoxic home that would be suitable for someone with MCS.

A friend of mine with MCS was in the fortunate situation of having a wealthy father, who was willing to finance our creating a healthy house for his son, with money being no object. We chose a small Arts & Crafts bungalow, near downtown, in Oakland, California. We remodeled it using only the most nontoxic materials available. It was beautiful. But he couldnÕt live in it, because the outdoor air was too polluted.

We learned an expensive lesson. And since then, I always choose the outdoor location first to make sure it has clean air, and then I consider the indoor materials.

SALVAGE

Salvage materials are a great choice for people with MCS because they have usually already outgassed any residual toxic fumes, and they help the environment by saving the resources that would have been used to make a new products.

One of my bloggers wrote: ÒWe just remodeled a guest kitchen in our house with remaindered plywood interior and real wood doors/exterior cabinetry. We then sanded them outside to remove the older "non-green" VOC varnish and then painted them with a sealing non-VOC primer and then two coats of non-VOC cabinet enamel from American Pride Safecoat. In order to fit them into the space exactly, we had a really great and reasonably priced carpenter custom build some shelves and crown molding that connected the pieces together seamlessly. This could also be done with the all-wood cabinets you feel you can't afford if you are willing to shop on Ebay or craigslist. We were amazed at how many people are sellingÑor in some cases giving awayÑperfectly good, solid wood, expensive cabinetry components and full kitchens, simply because they want a slightly different look after buying their house.Ó

WATCH OUT FOR HIDDEN TOXICS

Over and over I hear stories from people with MCS about experiences they have had where workers come and use a ÒsurpriseÓ toxic chemical during installation.

In my house in Inverness, I converted a covered patio into a room, and needed a subfloor built. I told the workers no toxic chemicals. I went over all the materials I wanted them to use. Fortunately I was watching them work every minute because as they started laying the plywood on top of the wood framing, they put toxic adhesive on the framing.

ÒWait,Ó I cried. ÒI told you to NAIL it down!Ó

ÒWeÕre going to,Ó they replied. ÒItÕs standard to put this adhesive down too, so the floors donÕt squeak.Ó

I didnÕt care about the floor squeaking. I stopped the adhesive right there.

So you have to watch. You can say Òno toxic productsÓ all day long, but most workers donÕt know what that means.

VENTILATION

Mary Cordaro, who overcame her own MCS and now is a top Bau-Biologie consultant (h3environmental.com), makes good ventilation her top priority for clients with MCS.

ÒIf I have to pick just one area to focus on,Ó says Mary, Òit would be air exchange. All of my chemically sensitive clients feel better when as much fresh air as possible is introduced into the environment, no matter what the weather is outdoors. A new home or remodel for a person with MCS must have more than adequate air exchange, and not just from open windows.

ÒA well designed passive or mechanical ventilation system will provide fresh air exchange, which will dilute and flush the environment. This is especially critical during the first year or two after construction, even for a home built with non-toxic materials.Ó

SUCCESS

Many people with MCS have successfully built or remodeled homes, by carefully researching materials and educating their workers.

Joyce Kaskey wrote to me: ÒI have a flat roof over my bedroom that was degrading and near needing replacement. The only short term options that were presented to me were toxic roof sealants with strong, long lasting odors that would penetrate the bedroom. I convinced my handyman (a skeptical soul who said only chemicals would work) to use Safecoat's roof guard and sealant. He complied with great grumbling and then reported to me that it was a far superior product and he loved it. Now two years later, my roof has not had to be replaced or refinished. The sealant and guard are still good and there was never any toxic odor in the bedroom.Ó

That we have so many nontoxic building products available today is largely due to manufacturers caring about and providing for the needs of those with MCS. These are good quality products everyone can use to create their own healthy home environment.

Websites Pertaining to Housing and MCS

http://www.herc.org/hhc/MCSHousingwebsites.htm

http://www.herc.org/

http://www.healsoaz.org/housing.htm