Home Sweet Home? 5 Potential Health Hazards of Old Homes

Some individuals choose to purchase older homes for a variety of reasons such as their size, aesthetic appeal, and more. However, there are plenty of problems that go along with older homes that many are not aware from, such as radon in the basement, cracked foundation, and others. Before making the final decision to purchase an older home, homeowners should consider five potential health hazards of older homes.

 

Radon

Known as the second leading cause of lung cancer, this is a naturally occurring gas in our environment. Cracks in the foundation are usually the way radon enters the home, and 1 in 15 houses in the country have a high level of this gas, according to the EPA. Unlike new construction homes, where Radon detectors often come standard, older homes need to be tested. If there is a dangerous level of Radon found, you may spend a significant sum of money installing ventilation and sealing the basement floor.

 

Cracked Foundation

A lot of materials and processes were used in older homes that leave them open to cracked foundations. Many homes were not sealed on the exterior side of the home, leaving them susceptible to cracking. Moreover, materials such as cinder blocks and cement tend to crack and leave over a period of time. All of this can lead to mildew, mold, and even termites and rot.

 

Lead Pipes

Replaced in the 1940s, lead remained present in the mid-1980s in the solder that was used to join copper pipes. So even if the pipes themselves are not made of lead, there can still be traces of the substance within the home. Exposure to lead over time can cause a number of health issues including lead poisoning and chronic headaches.

 

Lead-Based Paint

Typically, even if lead-based paint was used on the exterior of the home, it was painted over several times, encapsulating it in a Latex-based product. However, over time, the paint can crack and chip and become airborne which can then be inhaled or ingested by child and adult alike. This is a caution to be aware of in older homes.

 

Asbestos

This sturdy but hazardous material was commonly used in composite roofing material, cement-and-fiber siding, in vinyl floor coverings, water pipes, and to insulate boilers and furnaces. When asbestos is cracked it becomes friable and thus easily inhaled or ingested. Older homes built prior to the 1980s may have trace amounts.

 

Potential homeowners should be aware of these potential health hazards of older homes. Finding out about the home, when it was built, and any remodeling can help you avoid or fix the hazards.

Categories: based paint, cracked foundation, hazards, health, health hazards, homes, homes nbsp, lead based, nbsp lead, old homes, older homes, potential, potential health

Study Finds a Few Homes Can Have Big Impact on Environment

You may think that switching the lights off and lowering the heating isn’t doing much for environmental wellness, but you may be having a bigger impact on the planet’s wellbeing than you thought. This is according to a new study appearing in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology, which found that energy conservation in a small number of households could go a long way to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Led by Dominik Saner, the researchers measured differences in energy demands at the household level, examining more than 3,000 households in a Swiss town. The results of the study, which received funding from the Competence Centre for Energy & Mobility and Swisselectric Research, revealed that just 21% of the households accounted for almost 50% of greenhouse gas emissions. These few families had a disproportionately large environmental footprint due to large living spaces (which use more energy for heating, lighting and cooling) and long commutes in private vehicles.

The researchers pointed out that the energy you use to power your home and to travel accounts for more than 70% of emissions of carbon dioxide. This is the main greenhouse gas involved in global climate change, but policymakers and environmentalists have focused largely on the supply side to deal with the problem; turning to electric power plants, heating systems and cars that release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. However, Saner and his team decided to take a close look at how energy consumption for housing and land-based mobility at the household level impacts greenhouse gas emissions.

Several atmospheric gases are responsible for the greenhouse effect, including water vapour, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide. However, while methane has roughly 21 times the heat-trapping ability of carbon dioxide – according to the EPA – CO2 is frequently cited as the principal driver of global warming because we have burned so many fossil fuels like coal and oil that we have released unprecedented amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution began in the late 1700s. Still, the researchers concluded that if the emissions of the few disproportionate families ‘could be halved, the total emissions of the community would be reduced by 25%.’ So it seems that you still have your part to play in reducing carbon emissions.

Categories: carbon emissions, homes, Research

Warmer Homes And Lower Energy Bills All Thanks to New Scheme

A brand new scheme is bringing environmental wellness on an unprecedented scale. This has brought lower energy bills and warmer homes to Stockton-On-Tees, and has also brought 500 new jobs to the area.

Due to the fantastic success, the scheme is now going to be rolled out across the whole of the UK. Called the GoWarm project, this is being run by a community interest company, called Community Energy Solutions (CES) alongside Stockton Borough Council. It has already improved the energy efficiency in around 1,700 homes, all across the areas of Stockton and Thornaby. Individual fuel bills have been reduced by around £750 per year.

The key success for the wellbeing of the scheme was that the council agreed to go into partnership with CES, and this is due to last until 2015. Meanwhile the scheme is being extended and will now cover the whole borough, which means that over 5,000 solid wall, privately owned homes will also be offered the external wall insulation that is central to the scheme, and many of these will also qualify for new central heating and/or new boilers.

David Rose, councilor and environmental cabinet minister, said ‘We can now look forward to transforming thousands more people’s homes – making them warmer, better insulated and cheaper to heat – and regenerating streets.’ When the project is complete, the entire thing is going to cut the carbon emissions from the borough by over 300,000 tons every year.

As well as proving extremely beneficial for the environment, this scheme will save people a lot of money. In addition to this, people who have suffered from health problems as a result of living in cold homes could find that they have improved health in the future, thanks to the scheme.

Categories: environment, homes, scheme

Warmer Homes And Lower Energy Bills All Thanks to New Scheme

A brand new scheme is bringing environmental wellness on an unprecedented scale. This has brought lower energy bills and warmer homes to Stockton-On-Tees, and has also brought 500 new jobs to the area.

Due to the fantastic success, the scheme is now going to be rolled out across the whole of the UK. Called the GoWarm project, this is being run by a community interest company, called Community Energy Solutions (CES) alongside Stockton Borough Council. It has already improved the energy efficiency in around 1,700 homes, all across the areas of Stockton and Thornaby. Individual fuel bills have been reduced by around £750 per year.

The key success for the wellbeing of the scheme was that the council agreed to go into partnership with CES, and this is due to last until 2015. Meanwhile the scheme is being extended and will now cover the whole borough, which means that over 5,000 solid wall, privately owned homes will also be offered the external wall insulation that is central to the scheme, and many of these will also qualify for new central heating and/or new boilers.

David Rose, councilor and environmental cabinet minister, said ‘We can now look forward to transforming thousands more people’s homes – making them warmer, better insulated and cheaper to heat – and regenerating streets.’ When the project is complete, the entire thing is going to cut the carbon emissions from the borough by over 300,000 tons every year.

As well as proving extremely beneficial for the environment, this scheme will save people a lot of money. In addition to this, people who have suffered from health problems as a result of living in cold homes could find that they have improved health in the future, thanks to the scheme.

Categories: environment, homes, scheme