Non-Toxic and Natural Building Technologies The idea that commonly used building materials in our homes can adversely affect our health is a relatively new concept in North America. Only recently has there been any large, signi cant public outcry about the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) of the average American home. The terms "Sick Building Syndrome" and "Multiple Chemical Sensitivity" are becoming media common- place. But the two main media villains in the great IAQ debates, mold and fungus, have been around since the beginning of the human race. Why and how have these omnipresent, usually benign, naturally occurring molds and fungi suddenly become the issues of such controversy Put simply, sick building syndrome is a product of the modern materials in your 20th century house and the way they are put together. Until the early 60's, most homes in North America were constructed with some knowledge of the importance of breathability. Most pre-WWII lath and plaster over frame homes with brous insulation and steam heat "breathe" well and are far less mold- prone than today's homes. Modern homes, in contrast, do not breathe. Built of sheetrock with vapor barrier, non-moisture diffusing berglass insulation, and centrally forced air heating and cooling, they are practically designed to ensure that any moisture that gets in cannot get out. In this damp,unventilated environment, mold thrives. It is distributed around the house via the heating and cooling vents and breathed in by the inhabitants. Living in houses of this sort is as unhealthy and as uncomfortable as living in a plastic bag It doesn't have to be this way. Most of the world's buildings have been, and still are, constructed with bio-compatible materials--wood, earth, stone, cement and plaster--put together in a way that allowed the building to breathe properly. Before the days of central heating and air conditioning, your building had to breathe on its own without the assistance of mechanical heating and air conditioning
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By: George Swanson, Building Biolog
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Bio Compatible Materials