Stay Safe While Renovating Your Home

 

by Brian Turner

Repost from mesothelioma.com

Renovating a home can be an exciting time, but there are also potential health risks that are involved with these types of projects. This is certainly the case when it comes to older homes. With a few simple precautions, the renovation can be completed without any problems.

One of the main safety concerns would be the dust and any fumes that can be released into the air. This can occur when cutting wood, ripping out carpet, and applying glues, sealants, and paints. Dust and fumes can be limited in a few ways. The use of masks and eye protection is a must for anyone in the house. Opening windows and having proper ventilation will help in this matter as well. When painting, there should be adequate ventilation as well. The use of low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) paint is one way to limit the exposure to harmful vapors.

In older homes, two main concerns would be asbestos and lead based paint. Both can be removed safely, but extreme care should be taken. Both can cause serious respiratory health problems. Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is specifically caused by exposure to asbestos.

For the removal of lead paint, care should be taken in regards to the creation of dust. During renovation, it is sometimes best to move out while the work is being done. Items should be moved out of the room being worked on. Furniture and larger things should be wrapped in plastic. Ventilation systems should be turned off and the room being renovated needs to be sealed off and isolated from other areas of the home. Proper breathing protecting should be worn at all times as well. When the work is completed, a proper and thorough cleaning will ensure there is no lead dust remaining. The cleaning is one of the most important steps, so care should be taken to do this thoroughly.

If there is asbestos in the home, a homeowner should not take on the task of removing this toxic material. Asbestos removal should only be done by a company that is specifically licensed in asbestos abatement.

By taking a few precautions, home renovations can be done safely. If in doubt about how to proceed safely, it is always best to seek out the assistance of a professional.

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5 Shocking Places to Find Asbestos

 

by Brian Turner

 Repost from mesothelioma.com

With the rise of people being diagnosed with mesothelioma from asbestos exposure, it has sounded an alarm with the general public. People everywhere are beginning to wonder if they, or their families, have been exposed to asbestos in their homes or somewhere else in their day-to-day life. A lot of people are under the impression that asbestos only lies in certain building materials, like siding. However, these deadly fibers can be present in a lot of other places as well.

1. Inside the Home

One of the shocking places that asbestos can be found is actually on the inside of the home. Take a close look at the ceiling because some of the materials that were used several years ago to add texture to ceilings may contain asbestos. While this cannot be seen with the naked eye, if your ceiling appears to have the famous popcorn texture or is made up of tiles, it is possible that it may contain asbestos.

2. Flame Resistant Material

When you are looking for asbestos, do not rule out everyday items that you may use on a daily basis. Flame resistant materials are one of the most common items that often contain asbestos.

3. Antique Appliances

It is possible for you to be exposed to asbestos by certain antique appliances that you have in your home. People are often shocked to hear that the heating elements that are contained within their hair dryers and popcorn poppers often have asbestos in the insulators. This is especially true in older appliances.

4. Cigarette Filters

If you are a smoker, you may be shocked to learn that you have been readily placing asbestos fibers right up to your mouth. It is a little known fact that some cigarette filters have been found to contain small amounts of asbestos. This is just another reason to quit smoking.

5. Baby Powder Containing Talc

One of the most shocking asbestos harboring materials is something that you may have even used for your child. Many of the older baby powders contain talc. It has been proven that some talcum powder contains asbestos fibers. You should always look for alternative baby powder that contains cornstarch as an active ingredient.

Now that you know that asbestos could be lurking in many surprising places, you will be more equipped to protect yourself from the dangers of diseases that asbestos exposure can cause. When it comes time to do some spring cleaning or any home renovations, be sure to take extra caution to prevent you and your loved ones from coming into contact with asbestos.

Read more: http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/brian/5-shocking-places-to-find-asbestos.htm#ixzz2Ib68bWr3

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Asbestos Safety during Home Renovation

Asbestos Exposure is Preventable With The Proper Gear

 by Brian Turner

Brian Turner is a health and safety blogger for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. He has been researching and writing about the health and safety concerns that one should keep in mind while doing renovations at home. There are many hidden risks with such projects that could cause harm to yourself and even family members. Thus, here is an article contributed by him on asbestos safety during home improvement works.

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How to make Your Home Elderly Proof: Part 1 - Making Your Home User-friendly

 

How to make Your Home Elderly Proof:

Part 1 - Making Your Home User-friendly

Interior design is meant to increase the quality of our life. Thus planning for a renovation without considering the needs of the elderly members will be detrimental. Unfortunately, I have seen too many young couples who are too caught up with constructing their “dream” home that they have sadly sidelined the needs of their aged parents or grandparents.

In fact, I am very disheartened to see that so much emphasis is placed in the look and feel of the home design that they forgot that a home is ultimately where our loved ones live in. Don't these couple know that their aged family members have feelings and specific needs too? To me, it is ironic that a house is so stylishly and modernly furnished and yet, our loved ones faced difficulty living in it.

Why is making a home elderly proof so important?

In addition, these couple fail to realize is that by making their home elderly proof also means that their senior family members get to maintain their independence and this means a whole world to them. In fact, the elderly prided their autonomy very much and want to move around the house with minimal assistance.

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Home Ergonomics

Ergonomics is the study of designing equipment and devices that fit the human body, its movements, and its cognitive abilities. 

The International Ergonomics Association defines ergonomics as follows:
    Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.

(Source: wiki)

Similar to workplace ergonomics, home ergonomics is the science and study of designing tools and furniture which are ideal for home occupants in order to optimize their well-being and overall performance.

Thus, here are a few ergonomic designs which you can consider:

• Ergonomic Chair (Aeron work stool wins Attendees' Choice Award from the National Ergonomics Conference and Exposition 2006)
• Ergonomic Sofa (How To Know If Your Sofa Is Ergonomic)
• Ergonomic Mattress and Pillow (Ergonomic Pillow: Memory foam, Body or Contour Pillows)
• Ergonomic Kitchen (Kitchen Work Triangle & Ergonomics Lighting for the Kitchen)
• Ergonomic Tools (Top Ergonomic Cooking Tools found on the market, The Ergonomic Knife, Garden Tools, mouse and keyboard)
• Ergonomic Storeroom 

Application of ergonomic should not stop once we leave our workplace. In fact, we should pay close attention to such so that we can improve our well-being and overall performance. :)

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