Toxic Home Syndrome

A new report has suggested that by shutting those doors and windows, you're actually increasing the risk that your home itself could be poisoning you. Window cleaners work inside homes on a daily basis - the indoor air may contain over 900 chemicals, particles and biological materials with potential health effects.

Could your house be poisoning you? One expert suggests that millions of us are risking our health in an effort to stay warm: You might think of your home as a safe haven, where you shut the doors and windows against the worst the world can throw at you, and finally feel secure. However, a new report has suggested that by shutting those doors and windows, you're actually increasing the risk that your home itself could be poisoning you.

Experts have been alive to this risk for a number of years, but the Daily Mail is warning that we could be at particular risk at this time of year, as we keep doors and windows closed against the cold air, trapping pollutants in the property. This has been made even worse by our enthusiasm for insulating our properties more effectively, which reduces ventilation still further.

The report drew heavily on the work of Peter Howarth, Professor of Allergy and Respiratory medicine at Southampton University, who has coined the term 'Toxic Home Syndrome". His website myhealthmyhome.com, claims that 15.3 million homes in the UK suffer from this, which is putting the occupants at risk from the pollutants in the air.

Potential impact: The website makes for pretty alarming reading, because these pollutants can be caused by any number of things most of us do at home. These include taking showers, which condense around the bathroom, and cause mould to develop. Likewise, drying washing around the home releases organic compounds, cooking on a gas hob releases gases, using a wood-burning stove can release pollutants when smoke is able to drift back into the property. Even walking around in shoes brings pollutants and germs in from outside, which can be harboured by carpets and allowed to breed.

Each of these pollutants has a potential impact. Mould, for example, can exacerbate allergies and breathing problems, while the organic compounds can increase the risk of cancer, the gases from the hob can cause respiratory problems, smoke can cause lung damage, and carpet-related pollution can increase breathing problems and allergies. It all sounds terribly frightening. However, there's really no need to panic.

Are you at risk? If you have mould in your home, then there's every chance that it is not suitably ventilated, and either you should install better ventilation systems or keep windows open more - regardless of the weather.

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Even if there are no physical signs that you could have a problem, it's worth considering whether you or anyone else in your family is suffering from the symptoms associated with pollutants. Most commonly these include skin irritation, dry eyes, a congested nose, allergic reactions such as eczema or asthma, headaches, poor concentration and lethargy. If so, it's worth addressing ventilation at home.

But before we all start to panic, it's worth bearing in mind that every home has some pollutants in it. A study by Waverton Analytics at the end of last year found that 91% of homes exceeded the recommended maximum levels of indoor pollutants.

It's hardly surprising, given that at some point someone has walked on your carpets in shoes, there have been clothes drying, and someone presumably decorated it and cleaned it too - both of which pump plenty of chemicals into the air. Given that 91% of the population of the UK isn't keeling over from the effects of Toxic Home Syndrome, it means we should keep the risks in perspective.

This research should encourage us to think more carefully about how well ventilated our home is - especially if you have been suffering from any of these symptoms - it shouldn't, however, give us any reason to worry. There's every chance that opening the window when you have a shower, and making sure each room is aired regularly, should keep the healthy air circulating nicely.

Record Pollen Counts For Window Cleaners

Pollinated Windows!

Pollen season again, how are you coping? What are you doing differently? Take note that some clients may want to wait the pollen season out before calling, remember it may take you longer to complete your work. Window cleaners should consider the effect on clients with the recent record pollen falls, including:

• Stepping pollen into peoples home. Maybe use more than one pair of bootees or overshoes.
• Remember it may be on your clothing as you walk inside.
• Collect pollen with damp towels/scrims & discard for washing in a seal-able bag.
• Remember to wash out your strip-washer more frequently. And use a separate strip-washer inside a clients home.
• Change your water regularly.
• Wash your hands more often.
• Rinse your waterfed pole heads after use.
• Towel your hoses as you reel them in with a cloth.
• Wash all tools at the end of a day.

If you are a sufferer yourself, please go here.

Tip: Wash your hair. Your hair is a pollen magnet, so take care not to pollinate your house when you go indoors. If you fall asleep with pollen in your hair, it will attach to your pillow, potentially causing nighttime allergy flare-ups. "Wash your hair before you go to bed at night, so it's not trapped right next to your nose, where you're inhaling it. It is possible to give yourself an allergy when previously you didn't suffer.

• Pollen so thick it's turning cars green as scorching March sparks miserable allergy season - with pollen counts 8x more than what doctors consider 'high.'
• Dramatic rise in pollen levels caused by unseasonably warm winter.
• Cars caked with pollen on the streets of Atlanta, Georgia.
• Doctor warns that numbers have reached 'dangerous' highs in the Midwest.

Spring has sprung across America this week, but so has allergy season - and it's packing a furious punch. The unusually warm winter has led to an earlier than expected allergy season which has hit with a wheezing vengeance in parts of the South and Midwest this year. Abundant pollen is causing watery eyes, sniffles and sneezing. Doctors say that the spring misery stretches from Mississippi to Ohio and from Georgia to Texas, where drought conditions have exacerbated the problem. As record breaking temperatures were recorded today in parts of the Midwest and New York, forecasters and allergists blame the unseasonably warm weather, and few cold snaps, for causing plants to bloom weeks early and release the allergy-causing particles.

In some areas, allergists say pollen counts this week are as high as they've ever recorded. Hospital in Melrose Park, Illinois, said in a statement that the tree pollen in the area indicates a dangerous air quality warning. In Chicago, the tree pollen count of 1,600 grains of pollen per cubic meter recorded two days ago is 100 grains of pollen more than what's considered 'dangerous' levels. Dr Leija said: 'The warm March temperatures and sunny skies have encouraged the early budding of trees and flowers and my phones at Gottlieb are ringing with sufferers seeking relief'. A clinic at Vanderbilt University in Nashville recorded 11,000 grains of pollen per cubic meter Tuesday, the worst in the 12 years they've tracked the number. The Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Clinic has measured pollen since the 1980s and says this week's counts have beaten a high mark recorded there in April 1999. Their count for Tuesday was almost 9,400. Fifteen-hundred is considered very high.

Pollen grains from various plants seen through an electron microscope

Tree Pollen Count High In Chicago As Spring Starts: Today's tree pollen count in Chicago is 1600, which is 100 more than the 1500 limit, which indicates a dangerous air quality warning. Dr. Joseph Leija, who performs the official allergy count for the Midwest states: "After only seven days of allergy count recording, we are documenting the first air quality alert in the 2012 allergy reporting season. This is the first day of spring and this air quality alert will make many Midwesterners very miserable."

Pollen, at a glance: This U.S. map shows the forecasted levels of pollen throughout the country, with the South registering the highest.

N.J. tree pollen levels spike, cause allergy symptoms early: Mild temperatures this past winter aren’t the only statistics headed for the record books. Tree pollen is hitting unusual highs, sending scores of folks seeking relief from sneezing, sniffling, watery eyes and scratchy throats. According to weather.com, tree pollen, which typically reaches its peak in mid-April, is already at “very high” levels, and is expected to remain so for a few more days, at least. Pollen counts, ranging between 91 and 1,500, can cause symptoms for individuals who suffer with these allergies. Wednesday’s count, measured in grains per cubic meter, was listed in the morning at 1,746. The predominant allergens include juniper, cedar, maple and elm tree pollen. Another culprit affecting allergy sufferers is mold spores, which are listed as “moderately high.”

New Jersey isn’t the only place dealing with overwhelming pollen. Atlanta tree pollen counts hit an all-time high of 8,164 earlier this week, shattering the previous record of 6,013 set in April, 1999. Chicagoans, who have experienced seven straight days of 80-plus temps, are also doing their fair share of sneezing and coughing. Allergy specialists advise the following steps to take when the pollen counts becomes too much to comfortably bear:

• Minimize outdoor activity when pollen counts are high. Peak pollen times are usually between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Shut the windows in your house when pollen counts are high and avoid using window fans that may draw pollen inside.
• If you’ve started outdoor chores, like gardening or spring cleaning, wear a filter mask, if possible.
• Consult your physician before taking any medication, including over-the-counter allergy relief aids.