VOCs
One of the purposes of a home to to provide shelter.
Another is to be a healthy environment.
One category of pollutants that can make life less fun, and possibly downright dangerous are called Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOCs for short.
These are chemicals that evaporate at room temperature and can come from adhesives, paint, solvents, varnishes, even vinyl floors and many other items.
Many everyday products also include VOCs such as gasoline, cleaning supplies, cosmetics, etc..
For a more extensive list, this link will take you to the Minnesota Department of Health's web site. Much of the information on this page comes from the MDH web site.
Another is to be a healthy environment.
One category of pollutants that can make life less fun, and possibly downright dangerous are called Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOCs for short.
These are chemicals that evaporate at room temperature and can come from adhesives, paint, solvents, varnishes, even vinyl floors and many other items.
Many everyday products also include VOCs such as gasoline, cleaning supplies, cosmetics, etc..
For a more extensive list, this link will take you to the Minnesota Department of Health's web site. Much of the information on this page comes from the MDH web site.
Just how bad are these VOCs, that seem to be everywhere?
VOCs can't be eliminated completely, however, exposure to them can be minimized.
From the above web site:
From the above web site:
The risk of health effects from inhaling any chemical depends on how much is in the air, how long and how often a person breathes it in. Scientists look at short-term (acute) exposures as hours to days or long-term (chronic) exposures as years to even lifetime.
Breathing low levels of VOCs for long periods of time may increase some people’s risk of health problems. Several studies suggest that exposure to VOCs may make symptoms worse in people who have asthma or are particularly sensitive to chemicals. These are much different exposures than occupational exposures to VOCs.
Different VOCs have different health effects. Symptoms of high level exposure can include anything from eye irritation, headaches to vomiting.
Long term exposure can increase risk of Cancer, Liver or Kidney damage or even damage to your central nervous system.
Long term exposure can increase risk of Cancer, Liver or Kidney damage or even damage to your central nervous system.
The levels that are considered safe depends upon the specific compound. A good rule of thumb is simply to minimize your exposure.
People with asthma or other respiratory conditions, young children, elderly and people that are very sensitive to chemicals may want to be even more careful.
While I have concentrated here on indoor issues, VOCs are a general pollutant which can be present outdoors as well. Here is a link to a recent story Minnesota Public Radio did on Minneapolis' efforts to identify exactly where VOC's are coming from.
And here is a link to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency discussing grants being given to help small businesses lower their VOC emissions.
People with asthma or other respiratory conditions, young children, elderly and people that are very sensitive to chemicals may want to be even more careful.
While I have concentrated here on indoor issues, VOCs are a general pollutant which can be present outdoors as well. Here is a link to a recent story Minnesota Public Radio did on Minneapolis' efforts to identify exactly where VOC's are coming from.
And here is a link to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency discussing grants being given to help small businesses lower their VOC emissions.