THE ABC’s of VOC’s: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Surely you've heard the increased advertising lately about low-VOC household paints. Are they exaggerated warnings? Are there other household products besides paint to be concerned with? (Yes.) What is a "VOC?" How can it affect your family health and home value? Without any hype, how do you know your true risk level? As one of the Black Hills' only real estate licensees with national certification in green homes, and backed up with a Ph.D. in engineering, maybe I can help.

First, why should you care? Simple. VOC's are dangerous, at high enough levels. They are everywhere, at some level, and can be introduced in to your home by seemingly innocent household products and activities. Short term high levels of VOC's can cause eye irritation, headaches, nausea, dizziness and worsened asthma symptoms. Long term risks of even lower level exposures include cancer, liver damage and central nervous system defects.

That is why homebuilders, manufacturers and state and federal agencies are cracking down. The National Association of Homebuilders has taken note of VOC's in the home. The Federal Environmental Protection Agency has issued guidelines on VOC's. If you have any doubts, see how seriously manufacturers are dealing with products that emit VOC's, by googling "VOC" and the word "cleanser" or "flooring" or "shower curtain" or "adhesive" or any of many other household items.

OK. Now you know it's a realistic threat. You probably want some details you can act on. What is a VOC, how does it affect you, and if so what can you do about it?

What is a VOC? A "volatile organic compound" is a gas that evaporates at room temperature (“off-gassing”) from familiar solid and liquid building materials or household products. Some people can smell some VOC's. But some VOC's have no odor at all. The type and strength of odor is not a good indicator of your risk from harmful VOC's in your home.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, these common household items can emit VOC's:

Building Materials
Carpets and adhesives
Composite wood products
Paints
Sealing caulks
Solvents
Upholstery fabrics
Varnishes
Vinyl Floors

Home and Personal Care Products
Air fresheners
Air cleaners that produce ozone
Cleaning and disinfecting chemicals
Cosmetics
Fuel oil, gasoline
Moth balls
Vehicle exhaust running a car in an attached garage

Behaviors
Cooking
Drycleaning
Hobbies
Newspapers
Non-electric space heaters
Photocopiers
Smoking
Stored paints and chemicals
Wood burning stoves

The household interior level of VOC’s can reach from two to five times the levels found outside. Some persons, such as the elderly, very young, or those with asthma can be more vulnerable to VOC’s.

What can you do about VOC’s in the home? Some advisors claim the household test kits are questionable value. However, one common recommendation is to pro-actively control for VOC’s, based on known most-likely sources.

For example, to control VOC’s you may want to purchase known VOC-source items such as carpet and vinyl shower curtains that have been exposed outside sealed packaging for a while. You may want to schedule away-from-home trips during renovation work that involve VOC-related construction materials.

Another method of protection is to provide ventilation and avoid probable off-gassing within smaller spaces.

VOC’s are not a suddenly horrific threat to household safety. But we now have heightened awareness of VOC affects, particularly on some residents. Making the home safe is not rocket science. It just requires a little more caution. Next time you smell a household cleanser, or a new vinyl shower curtain, or adhesives or cleaning supplies, you may be exposing yourself and others to VOC’s. Just be aware there are real risks, and be cautious accordingly.