What’s a “Health House?”
Health House is the American Lung Association’s green building certification guidelines to build a healthy home – free of indoor pollutants. According to the EPA, Americans spend 90 percent of their time indoors! If ventilation systems that flush indoor air out and bring outdoor air in do not work properly, occupants can find themselves in buildings susceptible to levels of pollutants that are 2 – 5 times higher than surrounding outside. High temperatures and humidity levels can also contribute to poor indoor air quality in a home.
The American Lung Association’s interest in keeping our homes free and clear of pollutants – in part to protect children from another one of our nation’s growing health concerns, asthma – led the American Lung Association to create Health House. Their certification system focuses on the construction of a building, the materials, and heating and cooling systems to maximize a healthy and clean indoor environment. The guidelines include protocol for maximizing air filtration and ventilation systems within a home and avoiding building and finishing materials that off-gas (such as urea-formaldehyde laced products like some laminated wood or furniture products, or oil-based paints and floor finishes). For more information about Health House, you can visit www.healthhouse.org and download a copy of their Health House Builder Guidelines.
1 comment January 18, 2008
