Table Of ContentMy House Is Killing Me!
JEFFREY C. MAY
My House Is
Killing Me!
The Home Guide
for Families with
Allergies and
Asthma
FOREWORD BY
Jonathan M. Samet, M.D.
The Johns Hopkins University Press • Baltimore and London
Note to the reader:This book is not intended to provide medical or legal
advice. The services of a competent professional should be obtained
whenever medical, legal, or other specific advice is needed.
© 2001 Jeffrey C. May
All rights reserved. Published 2001
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4363
www.press.jhu.edu
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
May, Jeffrey C.
My house is killing me! : the home guide for families with allergies
and asthma / Jeffrey C. May ; foreword by Jonathan M. Samet.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8018-6729-0 (hardcover : alk. paper) —
ISBN 0-8018-6730-4 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Allergy—Popular works. 2. Asthma—Popular works. 3. Indoor air
pollution—Popular works. I. Title.
RC 585 .M29 2001
616.97—dc21 00-012495
A catalog record for this book is available from the British Library.
CONTENTS
Foreword, by Jonathan M. Samet, M.D. vii
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction: Managing the Unseen 1
PART I Setting the Scene
1 Cast of Characters 9
2 The Stage, Set, and Crew 34
PART II Daily Life
3 Bedrooms 53
4 Bathrooms 66
5 Living Rooms and Family Rooms 81
6 Kitchens and Dining Areas 96
7 Laundries 113
v
vi Contents
PART III Basements and Attics
8 Unfinished Basements 125
9 Finished Basements 148
10 Heating and Cooling with Air 163
11 More on Heat and Fuel 190
12 Attics 211
PART IV Clean It Up—Inside and Out
13 Renovation and New Construction 233
14 Cleaning 254
15 Exterior and Garage 267
16 Away from Home 287
Closing Remarks: Take Charge 307
Glossary 311
Resource Guide 325
Index 329
FOREWORD
My House Is Killing Me!may seem like a sensational title. But the stories re-
lated here by Jeffrey May, an experienced indoor air quality professional,
clearly show the dangers of indoor allergens and other pollutants, particularly
for those whom allergies make highly sensitive. In this book, Mr. May illus-
trates the potential dangers to health from indoor allergens, using a frame-
work based on the different areas of the home. He draws on his vast experi-
ence, offering general lessons from the often dramatic stories of the people he
has aided over his long career. Much as physicians cure sick persons, Mr. May
and other indoor air quality professionals “cure” sick homes and buildings.
Unless the causeof illnesses arising from indoor allergens or other pollutants
is effectively addressed, medical treatments may be extended unnecessarily or
may even be ineffective.
Even in the warmest and sunniest environments in the United States and
other developed countries, we spend most of our time indoors. Hence the
air we breathe and the pollutants in that air are often dominated by indoor
sources. We accept many of these sources without much thought: humidifiers,
pets, carpeting, and furnishings. But these features of our homes may be dam-
aging to health, although this potential is often overlooked by affected people
and the physicians who care for them. Professionals like Mr. May, informed
physicians, and the community of researchers on indoor environments have
identified and described exposure to pollutants in indoor environments and
their potential effect on health. This work has made clear that indoor pollu-
vii
viii Foreword
tion sources, including those generating allergens, impair health and cause
disease.
This book addresses the most severe effects, those making people so ill that
they seek professional evaluations of their health and their homes. They are
the tip of an iceberg, which has as its base a broad range of more subtle con-
sequences for public health. To deal with the full problem of indoor air qual-
ity, we need to address the obvious health problems described in this book,
and we also need to begin to avert indoor pollution problems through con-
struction practices, codes, and other approaches.
This book will be informative for those who think their health problems
may be caused by their homes. Such problems can be frustrating to affected
persons and to their health care providers, who are often unaware that the
quality of indoor environments is connected with health and disease. This
book should be particularly valuable for the substantial number of people who
have asthma and other allergic diseases. In fact the frequency of such diseases
is rising, and indoor air problems are considered one possible explanation. Mr.
May offers practical suggestions for diagnosing problems and for preventing
them. Following his guidance, readers may find solutions.
For those who do not achieve a satisfactory resolution, what steps should
they take next? Some health care providers may be able to provide informed
diagnoses and treatment. Allergists and pulmonary physicians or specialists in
occupational and environmental medicine are most likely to be “tuned in.”
Unfortunately there are many less knowledgeable health care providers, and
both patients and providers may become frustrated trying to solve health
problems that are based on an indoor air pollution source.
There are also many excellent indoor air quality professionals, like the au-
thor of this book. Some physicians work closely with such health profession-
als and will bring them in to help with specific cases if indicated. But some
physicians may not know that there is a need for consultation. Therefore pa-
tients who are convinced that indoor pollution is a problem may want to con-
sult an indoor air quality professional on their own. Finding the right knowl-
edgeable professional may be hard, and it is important to avoid working with
someone who may be uninformed. I suggest obtaining as much local guidance
as possible: try to find “a gem” like Mr. May.
Foreword ix
Fortunately he has written this book, which offers his solutions to a chal-
lenging set of problems.
Jonathan M. Samet, M.D.
Description:It's a world we barely see, but it is teeming with life. In the dust of a typical house, carpet beetles, mites, silverfish, and other creatures live and die, producing new generations every few months. Mold, bacteria, and yeast lurk undetected in heating and cooling systems. Debris dispersed into th
