THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, May 11, 1996 TAG: 9605090304
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY JUNE FLETCHER, WALL STREET JOURNAL
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
Nine years ago, Pamela Neiwirth suddenly started getting very ill. In less than four months, she lost 16 pounds. Her endocrine and digestive systems started to fail. She was hospitalized. ``I was dying,'' she says, as a result of multiple chemical sensitivities. Her Silver Spring, Md., house was, literally, making her sick.
Neiwirth says she is just beginning to feel normal again, largely because she has created a home environment that minimizes her exposure to airborne toxins that, she claims, overwhelm her immune system.
She ripped up dust-mite-bearing carpets, banished chemically-laden fabric protectors, and got rid of furniture made from particleboard. She switched to all-natural fabrics for furniture and began using organic cleaners.
At first such products were hard to find. ``Now, however, there's a lot more awareness among manufacturers that people like me exist,'' she says.
Once dismissed as hypochondriacs, people with chemical sensitivities are gaining more interest from medical professionals.
Alfred Johnson of the Environmental Health Center in Dallas says that because symptoms include irritability, confusion and joint pain, victims often labor for years under a psychosomatic misdiagnosis before allergy tests reveal their sensitivities.
Johnson says about a third of all Americans suffer from some sort of allergy, although only about 1 percent suffer debilitating symptoms.
Nevertheless, he says the fact that houses are more tightly insulated and sealed than they were a generation ago, and people are spending more time indoors, makes common allergies worse, and severe ones more dangerous.
Clint Good, a Lincoln, Va., architect, became sensitized to chemicals in 1982 after renovating a 30-year-old house. Although he used standard building products, he suddenly began experiencing respiratory problems, headaches, dizziness and heightened sensitivity to odors when exposed to new carpeting and fresh paint.
He also developed allergies to common irritants like dust and dander.
After an allergist diagnosed his condition and he spent three years building up his immune system, Good decided to devote his practice to designing houses with materials unlikely to hurt the health of their occupants, such as hard-finish flooring, steel framing and cementitious foam or perlite insulation.
The products he generally prescribes for his houses add as much as 25 percent to the cost. ``But what's good health worth?'' he asks.
Good also wrote a book titled ``Healthful Housing,'' conducts on-site audits to help owners rid existing houses of pollutants and consults with manufacturers on reducing toxins in building products.
``I think many manufacturers are quietly reformulating their products to reduce liability,'' he says. Some recent reformulations now on the market: laminated lumber made with phenol formaldehyde, rather than a more toxic urea-based binder; paints low in polluting volatile organic compounds, and water-based rather than polyurethane-based flooring finishes.
John Bower, a Bloomington, Ind., builder, also began building ``healthful houses'' after his wife, Lynn Marie, developed severe chemical sensitivities in 1984. Like Good, her symptoms - including insomnia, joint pain and congestion - first appeared after a major home renovation. ``I had to create a house she could tolerate,'' says Bower.
Bower has now built several non-toxic houses for clients, and he and his wife have both written books on creating healthy living environments.
Bower agrees with Good that building materials for a healthful house generally cost more. But consumers can save money: for instance, by picking terrazzo instead of more expensive ceramic tile, or simply by shrinking the floor plan.
Bower and Good also agree that although natural building products are generally preferable to synthetics, they aren't always synonymous with good health.
It all depends on the allergies involved: A person may be sensitive to wool carpets, for instance, or to cedar siding. ``And,'' cautions Bower, ``don't forget: lead, asbestos and radon are all natural.'' ILLUSTRATION: WHEN YOUR HOUSE MAKES YOU SICK
[Color Illustration]
JOHN CORBITT
The Virginian-Pilot
KEYWORDS: CHEMICAL SENSITIVITY ALLERGY by CNB