My House Is Killing Me!: The Home Guide for Families with Allergies and AsthmaIt's a world we barely see, but it is teeming with life. In the dust of a typical house, carpet beetles, mites, silverfish, and other creatures live and die, producing new generations every few months. Mold, bacteria, and yeast lurk undetected in heating and cooling systems. Debris dispersed into the air from these organisms can cause runny noses, itchy eyes, coughing, headaches, and breathing difficulties. Some people, especially those made highly sensitive by allergies, suffer from devastating health problems and the worry that, as one such sufferer lamented, "My house is killing me!" Scrutinizing house dust and air samples with a microscope, indoor air quality expert Jeffrey C. May has spent his career helping people identify what's causing their chronic health problems. In My House Is Killing Me! he draws on the dramatic personal stories of his clients' suffering and relief to help readers understand the links between environmental factors and problems like allergies and asthma. Explaining how air conditioning, finished basements, and other home features affect air quality, he offers a step-by-step approach to identifying, controlling, and often eliminating the sources of indoor pollutants and allergens. If we could see this contamination, May observes, the air would look as murky as stagnant water, and we would know not to breathe it. Reading My House Is Killing Me! lets you see your house the way an expert would. Just as he looks at spaces and systems during an indoor air quality investigation, May focuses first on the areas of daily life (bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen), then looks into attics and basements (including heating and air conditioning), and finally moves outside to the garage and the exterior of a home. Along with offering a wealth of practical advice and proven solutions for various problems, he includes a glossary of terms and a list of valuable resources. |
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... damp basement . They thought it would be safe to put all their winter clothing in a large cedar closet in the basement , but when they went to retrieve their clothing in the fall it was covered with As- pergillus mold . The relative ...
... damp stench as well as my report to break his lease . Another desperate homeowner asked me to inspect the crawl ... damp , and there was an odor of mold . What was the source of moisture ? The architect had not wanted to put gutters on ...
... damp , bacteria and fungi will start to grow . Many people have told me that their carpets remained damp for more than a day after being washed and smelled for a while longer . Even though the smell may go away , I believe that the ...
Contents
Cast of Characters | 9 |
The Stage Set and Crew | 34 |
Daily Life | 51 |
Copyright | |
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