Homes are always weighed down with dust. But, you don’t characterize dust with a harmless nuisance, but a micro army of toxins. As per a recent study at George Washington University, 90% of the dust samples collected from houses had over 45 toxic and hazardous chemicals which originate in household products such as vinyl flooring, paint, building materials and more. They may lead to cancer, reproductive issues, hindrance in a child’s development and health issues like asthma, allergies etc.
Flame retardants, pet dander, lead, mold, dirt on your shoes are consistently airborne and land on surfaces in your house, bed sheets, carpets, tables, kid’s toys and more. It means every time you get in contact with these surfaces, touch them or breathe in that environment, you may ingest hazardous toxins. The only way to find out this is to hire professionals.
Apart from testing, another way to ensure that harmful chemicals don’t get airborne is to buy eco-friendly furniture, bedding and personal care products. You definitely want your home to be safe as you spend your maximum time there. There are a few toxins you can’t imagine your household dust has which includes rat hair, lead, asbestos and human feces. Even low exposure to them can cause health issues, especially in kids.
Some of the pollutants to watch out for are given below:
Fire retardants
Being exposed to fire retardants also known as Poly-Brominated Diphenyl Ethers can harm reproductive systems and weaken learning, memory, cognitive and motor skills and lead to behavioral changes. They are also known to impair thyroid, liver and brain development. Another flame retardant known as TDCPP is known to cause cancer.
Plastic Additives
Another common chemical found in dust is phthalates which is used to make plastic tougher and better in flexibility. You may also find it in vinyl flooring, cleaning products, plastic packaging and kid’s toys. Exposure for a long term to humans is known to cause harm to reproductive systems.
Lead
Lead is another hazardous product which is found in houses, especially the ones which have been constructed before 1978. People try to safeguard their kids from exposure to heavy metals, especially the paint on the walls and window sills. But, lead is known to impact every system in your body and can also become a part of the dust.
A lot of health complications caused by lead may not show up for years and when they show up, it is too late. So, the bottom line is that you don’t know what you are breathing till you have got it tested. Once you have got your home and office tested, you can take the required action to lower the issues causing the release of chemicals in the dust.
Lead testing NYC is done through a third-party EPA accredited inspector or risk assessor. It needs to follow a rigid inspection protocol and provides you with a detailed report if lead is present or not. MKM Environmental is your best solution to get the inspections done.