Toxicity around the house

[MindfulMama]

Toxicity around the house

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We have been looking at houses & have found a couple that we like. But it always seems there is something toxic about them!

For example, one of the houses has termites, so will need to have Termidor applied as a chemical barrier. All the research says it is "safe" but I don't know how I feel about DS digging in the yard, the chooks scratching around & eating the veges etc. Plus the house has a new plywod laminate kitchen - looks fab but is ofgassing a whole lot of formaledhyde!

Then the other house we're looking at is an old one, so you have the problems of lead paint & absestos.

Ideally we would build our own eco-friendly healthy house on acreage but short of winning lottery (which we'd need to buy a ticket 1st ) that just isn't an option.

What do you think? Would you (do you) live in a house that has the potential to make you or your children sick?

[lcorteen]

Re: Toxicity around the house

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Yes! I always talk about winning Lotto, but don't actually buy a ticket! he he he

Personally I think living on Earth has the potential to make us sick, so to me it is more a Q of the lesser of the evils. I don't want to spend my life worrying a lot about what will make me sick as this too will make me sick! IYKWIM. Of course, toxic chems like asbestos, formaldehyde and lead etc. are things we can and should do without!

My preference is for preloved homes. You can feel the energy they carry, plus the construction is more solid IMO. Our house is 28yrs and we've reno'd a couple of other houses about the same age. The plaster is really thick, the bricks really solid, giving good thermal insulation, over here they're double brick, with normally clay roof tiles (again, good thermals). Also often less glazing than new homes, plus more segregation of space (to allow cooling and heating of 'zones' rather than the whole house), also all skirtings and frames are solid timber, not MDF which is used in most new homes. Plus they are often smaller, so have less heating and cooling costs anyway, and we really like being close to each other, and having a smaller, older house generally means you have more garden, so can grow fruit and veg (hopefully no DDT and deildrin).

I also figure that most of the volatile formaldehyde in the chipboard in our kitchen has gone over the last 28 yrs, so now when we redo it, we can use alternatives. Plus, there are often more trees around established homes, which reduces need for heating and cooling.

There is a simple test you can do for lead paint - perhaps you coul make it a condition of sale? Even if you buy a house that does not have termites, if it is old, it has probably been sprayed at some stage with DDT and or deildrin (especially around the actual house and any fence lines). You can have the soil tested fairly cheaply.

Good luck with the house hunt and the lotto

xxx