Moisture Control Handbook: Principles and Practices for Residential and Small Commercial Buildings

Author(s): Joseph Lstiburek & John Carmody

Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (January 1, 1996)

Hardcover: 232 pages

ISBN-10: 0471318639

ISBN-13: 978-0471318637

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In the climate-controlled buildings of today, moisture problems affect not only the useable life expectancy of the structure, but the comfort and health of the occupants. This reference is the first to apply up-to-date moisture control and treatment techniques in a problem/solution format. Opening with an introductory explanation of the nature and causes of mold, mildew, and condensation, the book gives specific advice on heated, cooled, and combination environments, plus a short course in the dynamics of moisture movement within buildings. Other invaluable coverage includes:
* clear, detailed recommended practices for all United States climates
* practices for cooling as well as heating climates (often, heating climate solutions are applied in cooling climates, where problems and solutions are completely different)
* an overall, systematic view of moisture problems–including how mechanical systems and occupant lifestyles can create and also resolve moisture problems
* actual case studies of buildings with moisture problems that illustrate the principles and practices presented in the book
This detailed, no-nonsense exploration of moisture cause and effect–as well as its protection and remediation–will expand readers’ knowledge on this crucial subject. Moisture Control Handbook will be welcomed by building contractors, architects, mechanical engineers, building science researchers, building product manufacturers, homeowners, and small commercial building owners.

Indoor Air Quality and HVAC Systems

Author(s): David W. Bearg

Publisher: Lewis Publishers, Inc.

Hardcover: 240 pages

ISBN: 0873715748

ISBN-13: 978-0873715744

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Indoor Air Quality and HVAC Systems is a practical guide for understanding the relationship between the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of HVAC systems and achieving indoor air quality (IAQ). The book describes the individual components of HVAC systems and the role each plays in maintaining good indoor air quality. It also identifies the techniques available for evaluating the performance characteristics of ventilation systems (including the use of carbon dioxide monitors and sulfur hexafluoride tracer testing equipment).
Other topics discussed include the determination of pathways of air movement through buildings and understanding pressure relationships, ventilation effectiveness, and efficiency. The book concludes with an overview of sources of air contaminants to be concerned about when performing an IAQ evaluation.
Indoor Air Quality and HVAC Systems provides critical information for industrial hygienists, HVAC contractors and engineers, and building owners and managers.

Clean and Green

Author(s): Annie Berhold Bond

Publisher: Ceres Press

Paperback: 162 pages

ISBN: 1886101019

ISBN-13: 978-1886101012

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485 ways to clean, polish, disinfect, deodorize, launder, remove stains, even wash your car, without harming yourself or the environment. Recipes based on harmless, nonpolluting, renewable ingredients. 160 pages, recycled paper/vegetable ink, paperback.

From the Publisher

This remarkable book has sold 100,000 copies – for one reason – the formulas work!

Designer Poisons: How to Protect Your Health and Home from Toxic Pesticides

Author(s): Marion Moses

Publisher: Pesticide Education Center

Paperback: 413 pages

ISBN: 1881510158

ISBN-13: 978-1881510154

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Booknews, Inc. , 11/01/95
An important book on the hazards of home use pesticides, filled with hard-to-obtain information explained for general readers. After outlining the dangers of pesticide exposure and discussing pesticide labels and regulations, details acute and chronic effects of pesticides, indoor and outdoor use chemicals, pesticides used on pets and humans, and commercial pesticides, with tables of brand name products listing ingredients and toxicity. Includes suggestions for less toxic and nontoxic alternatives, plus many appendices. Available from the Pesticide Education Center, P.O. Box 420870, San Francisco, CA 94142-0870. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Midwest Book Review
What pesticides are linked to cancer, what is the alternative to their use, and how can individuals and homeowners understand the dangers and protect themselves and their families? From brand name pesticide dangers in and outside the home to active ingredients in each, this packs in statistics and data.

The Healthy Household: A Complete Guide for Creating a Healthy Indoor Environment

Author(s): Lynn Marie Bower

Publisher: Healthy House Institute

Paperback: 475 pages

ISBN: 0963715631

ISBN-13: 978-0963715630

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From Booklist, 10/01/95:
We are surrounded by chemically treated and synthetically derived items having the potential to release dangerous chemical compounds into the air. Some of these toxins are mild irritants, while others can have adverse effects on the central nervous system or can be carcinogenic. Here less-toxic and alternative products for daily living are identified, simple methods of reducing risks of irritants and hazards are discussed, and techniques to maintain a healthier indoor environment are outlined. The author, who suffers from multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) (a hypersensitivity to exposure to small amounts of synthetic chemicals), coedits an MCS support-group newsletter. Multiple chemical sensitivity is described as a relatively recently labeled condition that is not yet accepted by much of the medical community. The first chapter briefly discusses physicians who recognize and treat chemical illnesses, sources of mail-order companies handling books about MCS, and definitions of terms, including all-natural, no volatile organic compounds (VOC), and unscented. Other chapters discuss in detail personal-care products, clothing and various fibers, and linens. Interior Decorating covers wall paint, flooring, cabinets, furniture, window treatments, and lighting. Lifestyle offers less toxic choices for stationery, wrapping paper, electronic equipment, saunas, luggage, and pets. The chapters Cleaning and Housekeeping describe new procedures for cleaning, storage, and pest control with alternative products. Purifying indoor air and testing and treating home water are covered extensively. Another chapter offers views on the ever-controversial topic of electromagnetic radiation from high-voltage power lines as well as wiring and electrical appliances in the home. Throughout the text hundreds of suggestions, alternatives, and sources are given. The extensive appendix lists contacts for utility and government help, printed material, organizations and consulting services, product sources, and specialized resources for infants and children. The Healthy Household is a comprehensive source for anyone troubled by chemical sensitivities. The meticulous approach to making the home environment less toxic is well researched and practical. For circulating and reference collections on holistic and alternative medicine. Copyright 1995, American Library Association. All rights reserved

Living Allergy Free: How to Create and Maintain an Allergen- and Irritant-Free Environment

Author(s): M. Eric Gershwin, Edwin L. Klingelhofer, Eric M. Gershwin

Publisher: Humana Press

Hardcover: 294 pages

ISBN: 0896032256

ISBN-13: 978-0896032255

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In this commonsense book, Dr. Gershwin and Dr. Klingelhofer offer sensible, practical strategies for identifying the substances that cause allergies (allergens), the symptoms they cause, ways exposure to allergens can be avoided or reduced, and ways you can relieve the symptoms. Living Allergy Free also treats some reactions that are commonly assumed to be allergies, but are really sensitivity or irritant reactions, shows how they can be distinguished from true allergies, and tells you what to do about them. If you suffer from allergies-or if you think you do-Living Allergy Free is just what the doctor would order!

Booknews, Inc. , 12/01/92:
Doctors Gershwin and Klingelhofer teach reader-sufferers how to identify allergens, recognize the symptoms they cause, relieve their symptoms, and reduce–or even avoid altogether–exposure to allergens. They also treat some reactions that are commonly assumed to be allergies, but are in fact sensitivity or irritant reactions. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Indoor Air Quality: Solutions and Strategies

Author(s): Steve M. Hays, Ronald V. Gobbell, Nicholas R. Ganick

Publisher: McGraw Hill Text

Hardcover: 417 pages

ISBN: 0070273731

ISBN-13: 978-0070273733

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The field of indoor air quality concerns architects, engineers, industrial hygienists and building operators. Bringing together all these disciplines, this expert guide offers vital information and practical guidance to assess and control indoor contaminants in all types of buildings. Featuring the latest investigative procedures, measurement and monitoring techniques and assessment protocols, this book demonstrates how to: conduct thorough occupant interviews, collect and analyze samples, diagnose and solve problems related to air movement and HVAC-systems, minimize pollution from VOC-emitting building materials and equipment, control contamination introduced by maintenance and construction activities and implement a building commissioning plan to minimize problems in new construction. Indoor Air Quality provides tested and proven solutions and strategies you need to design, operate and maintain buildings with good air quality.

Booknews, Inc. , 08/01/95:
An architect, an industrial engineer, and a mechanical engineer offer an overview of what’s known about managing indoor air quality for professionals in the building industry. They provide a foundation for analysis and control, show relationships among the various disciplines concerned with indoor air quality, and discuss practical applications of the disciplines. Includes five appendices and a 12-page glossary.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Introduction
The IAQ Problem
Diagnosis and Remediation of IAQ Problems
The Interdisciplinary Approach
References
Chapter 2. Industrial Hygiene and Its Application to IAQ
Introduction
Industrial Hygiene Methodology
Indoor Air Quality and Industrial Hygiene
The Application of Industrial Hygiene Methodology to IAQ
Sampling, Analysis, and Interpretation
References
Chapter 3. Mechanical Engineering and IAQ
Introduction
Classifications of HVAC Systems
IAQ Issues for HVAC
Existing Buildings: Investigation and Corrective Strategies
New Construction
HVAC System Maintenance
References
Chapter 4. Architecture, Construction, and Operations
Introduction
Building Materials
Other Sources of Building Contamination
Building Functional and Occupant Loads
Other Factors That Influence IAQ Perception
Existing Buildings: Investigation and Corrective Strategies
New Construction
References
Chapter 5. Conclusion
IAQ Management
Status of IAQ
IAQ in Other Facilities
References
Appendix A. Core Checklist
Appendix B. Occupant Health and Comfort Questionnaire
Appendix C. HVAC IAQ Investigation Checklist
Appendix D. Architecture, Construction, and Operations Checklist
Appendix E. Resources
Glossary
Symbols and Abbreviations

Healing Environments: Your Guide to Indoor Well Being

Author(s): Carol Venolia, Debra Lynn Dadd

Publisher: Celestial Arts

Paperback: 240 pages

ISBN: 0890874972

ISBN-13: 978-0890874974

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From The WomanSource Catalog & Review:

Tools for Connecting the Community for Women; review by SH, 02/01/97:
The physical environments we live, work and play in have a direct, but often unrecognized, effect on the harmony of our lives. Becoming aware of our interactions with these spaces and making changes to improve them can help create balance and emotional well-being. Healing Environments provides ways in which to reconfigure our lifestyles and surroundings that will enhance our lives and spiritual beings. For instance, adding accents of silver, the color of the moon, can aid creativity, soothe emotions and soften the ambience in our surroundings. An architect by profession, Carol Venolia guides us beyond the structural dimensions and into the sensorial realms of the spaces we inhabit. This book is presented as a way to get to know ourselves and evaluate our environments, as well as to teach us how the components of color, sound, temperature, light, arrangement and texture can be cultivated to create a healthier and more fufilling existence.

Excerpted from Healing Environments by Carol Venolia (as appears in The WomanSource Catalog & Review). Copyright(c) 1988. Reprinted by permission, all rights reserved:
A friend of mine found another way to change his environment via his perceptions. His heart was in the Sierras, but his work was in San Francisco. He made his peace with the city by knowing the origins of its parts: the granite veneer on his high-rise office building was quarried in the mountains; his drinking water came from the snowfall of the Sierra Nevada; his Victorian row-house was built from the redwood forests; the sun that shone on him also irritating, but necessary requirements for home-dwellers.

Home Safe Home: Protecting Yourself and Your Family from Everyday Toxics and Harmful Household Products in the Home

Author(s): Debra Lynn Dadd

Publisher: Putnam Pub Group

Paperback: 464 pages

ISBN: 087477859X

ISBN-13: 978-0874778595

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Toxins in the home can be the cause of unexplained headaches, fatigue, and depression. It is also widely believed that there is a definite link between the increased use of toxins and the rising rate of cancer. In this book, the author of Nontoxic, Natural & Earthwise and The Nontoxic Home & Office presents more than 400 tips, including do-it-yourself formulas for inexpensive, safe products to replace harmful substances found in the home. Card catalog description Home Safe Home offers more than 400 tips, including do-it-yourself formulas for inexpensive, safe products to replace harmful substances we are exposed to in our own homes. Whether you suffer from unexplained headaches, fatigue, or depression, or if you worry about the link between increased use of toxics and the rising rate of cancer, the many suggestions in this book can make your life virtually toxic-free!

Comments

A reader from New York state , 01/07/98, rating=10:
A sure-fire formula for making your home safe This guide was written to give consumers an overview of the problems of everyday toxins and harmful household products. It’s designed to help you choose safe products depending on your interests, budget, medical conditions and lifestyle. The author has spent seventeen years investigating the toxic substances that caused a breakdown in her immune system. Each of her fast reading chapters explains a hazard and then provides a safe solution to the problem. Included are hundreds of inexpensive do-it-yourself formulas. The appendix includes pertinent information on the following topics: the harmful effects of common substances, dealing with household poisonings,recommended reading and organizations for each chapter, annotated mail-order sources with addresses and phone numbers, a directory of product manufacturers, an extensive bibliography, and an index. Every household needs a book like this because we can do something about the toxic environment in our homes. The table of contents and the index make this a ready reference book though it should read in its entirety. Then we will be better equipped to deal with the toxins in our homes. This book would make a great bridal shower gift. Highly recommended.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Ch. 1. How Safe is Your Home?
Ch. 2. Indoor Air Pollution
Ch. 3. Household Cleaning and Laundry Products
Ch. 4. Home and Garden Pest Control
Ch. 5. Water
Ch. 6. Drugs and Medications
Ch. 7. Beauty and Hygiene
Ch. 8. Food
Ch. 9. Textiles
Ch. 10. Home Office and Art Supplies
Ch. 11. Home Furnishings
Ch. 12. Babies and Children
Ch. 13. Pet Care
Ch. 14. Finding a Safe Home
App. A. Harmful Effects of Common Substances
App. B. Household Poisons
Recommended Resources
Mail-Order Sources
Directory of Product Manufacturers
Bibliography
Index

The Healthy House Answer Book

Author(s): John & Lynn Marie Bower

Publisher: Healthy House Inst; 1 edition (November 1, 1997)

Paperback: 192 pages

ISBN: 096371564X

ISBN-13: 978-0963715647

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Answers to the 133 most commonly asked questions

Have you ever asked an expert a question, and received an answer that left you baffled–even more confused and uncertain than before you asked the question? The Healthy House Answer Book is exactly the opposite. It’s clear and direct. This book offers answers to the most common questions about healthy home construction, decorating and maintenance. Unlike thick references, this book is designed to offer quick answers to common questions. You don’t need a degree in science to understand the answers about a wide range of home health topics, such as interior paints, flooring, air and water filters, furnaces, cabinets and cleaning products. The question-and-answer format helps you quickly find the information you need. 187 pages, 1997