At this time of year many feel like closing all the windows and cranking up the furnace.  The problem is, what happens to the indoor air quality with all those windows closed and all of that heat?  Newer homes have been built using insulating materials and a vapour barrier to keep energy costs at bay.  The goal of insulating them is to keep outside air outside, which is great, but…  modern floor covering, paint, and items of furniture comprises chemicals which off-gas into our environment.    A story circulated my way of a wealthy couple who custom built their third house.  The entire home contained new materials, and having lived there for only two days the wife began to complain of illness and discomfort.  By the week’s end she was in a hotel room, and the husband was left to call the real estate agent to start a listing.  If you are experiencing trouble breathing, if you are feeling sick or weak, the solution may be as simple as getting some fresh air.

Unfortunately the city is not the best place to find clean air, and the country may be too far away.  In the winter months, the air near ground level contains higher levels of carcinogens due to exhaust vapours cooling rapidly not being able to rise.  This, among other environmental factors such as relative humidity creates a problem for us.   Asthma statistics provided are for Canada, and include regions where cold air is the norm for 4-7 months of the year.  My quick analysis of the data shows children, women and seniors at higher risk than men.  I believe this fact is due to the greater amount of time these individuals are spending in the home.  So what can we do to improve these disturbing numbers?  Well, lets start with a filter.

Some of my friends on Facebook and Twitter have heard me chirp about changing your furnace filter regularly.  Because 6 out of 10 households use forced air gas heating, I’ll mention it again here in different context and greater detail.  There are a few designs for these items, and they come in different shapes and sizes.  Almost every unit will have the filter located on the inlet side of the furnace to prevent dust and debris from reaching the main fan.  A poor quality filter will allow dust through, and therefore will not look as if it needs changing.  A high quality filter will become plugged more readily, and eventually will not even allow light to pass through.  Washable filters are available, and although the initial cost is higher, they save you money in the long run. There are additional measures that can be taken along with regular filter change.  Light can actually be used to aid in the reduction of airborne pathogens by burning small microbes with UV radiation.  Good ‘ol alternating current has also been employed in the fight against dust particles with the invention of Electronic Air Cleaners.  Standalone air purifiers offer portability and proximity if there is a specific room you’d like to target.  I get so excited about clean air in my home, I often need to vent!

The key to keeping the atmosphere fresh inside is letting some of the outside atmoshpere in.  Unfortunately, opening a window is not the best solution.  In the winter months this causes heat loss. In summer months, we’re letting in unwanted warm, humid air.  Thanks to developments in HVAC technology, some solutions have been found.  The Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV), and Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) have air-to-air heat exchangers built into a ducted unit. With an energy-recovery ventilator, the heat exchanger transfers a certain amount of water vapor along with heat energy, while a heat-recovery ventilator only transfers heat. The part of the country in which you live will dictate that type of unit that is right for your needs. Generally speaking – HRVs are usually recommended for colder climates with longer heating seasons. ERVs are used for warmer, more humid climates with long cooling seasons. I’m not an expert on these machines, so I saught out information from Tim of the Hayter Group.  He told me the usual procedure is for them to do an IAQ investigation.  I learned that the ventilation needs of each home vary.  They depend greatly on not only the materials and methods used to construct the building, but also the habits and activities of its occupants.  Finding a home’s HRV requirements should be done by a professional to ensure accurate results.  The assesment will inform you of the size and type of unit recommended, and may lead to lower energy costs as the results will show how well insulated or”tight” the house is.  Our comfort is a function of temperature and humidity and each person has different preferences, the common element is clean air though, no-one enjoys difficulty breathing.  Below are some images of three types of installations.

For those of us living in apartments, an indoor air quality investigtion perhaps is neither affordable or practical. Instead we are forced to make small improvements to the way our air is cleaned. Taking the smoke outside is a good first step. Running the hood fan while cooking is a great idea, as long as it actually vents to the outside, most apartments have hood fans that simply shoot the air back into the room it came from. The bathroom exhaust is another important one to use to keep the humid air out when showering or having a bath. Regular cleaning of carpets and upholstered surfaces will prevent accumulation of dust, pet dander, and pollen or mold spores. Houseplants can also be very usefull in taking contaminants out of the air, and beautifying our living spaces. Certain types of plants are better than others, the best air cleaners are; Epipremnum sp. (Golden Pothos), Ficus sp. (Ficus), and Aglaonema sp. (Chinese Evergreen). There are certain varieties which remove toxic chemicals such as benzene, Gerbera Daisies and Chrysanthemums. These and other plants go a long way to helping if you have the windows to put them in and a green enough thumb to keep them alive. Living in a basement unit requires a different approach, such as a selfcontained air cleaning system. Many types are available, just check the capacity listed on the box before you buy one, they are rated for room size.

It is Christmas.  A time for celebration for those in the Christian faith.  Shopping is over, unless you are boycotting, or if you are a “hardcore” last minute buyer.  I personally have no desire to do anything but unwind and enjoy some company.  Unwinding involves music, conversation, and occasionally some “liquid refreshment”.  Living in a rural area, someone has to remain sober to get behind a wheel, or a sleepover becomes imminent.   I am thinking this is where most avid drinkers are sighing, rolling there eyes, and clicking the nearest hyperlink to get off this discussion.  For you that remain I offer some quick facts in order to illustrate a point that MADD is trying to make;

_According to provincial statistics, 271 people have died on OPP-patrolled roadways this year – 42 of whom died in alcohol-related collisions.

During the five-week RIDE initiative last year, OPP officers stopped 884,729 vehicles at roadside checkpoints. As a result, 319 people were arrested and charged with criminal code alcohol-related offences. Officers also issued a total of 784 12-hour suspensions and issued 353 ninety-day Administrative Drivers Licence Suspensions.

“Drinking and driving is a serious threat to public safety and remains the leading cause of criminal death in Canada. The tragic loss of life and the burden on the health care system that results touches every one of us at some point in our lives,” OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino said in a statement._

You and I both know the safety risks involved in this activity, so if you can stop it this Christmas,  or anytime, please do so.  It’s not only the alcohol that gets the blame, impaired driving is any situation where the ability of the person driving is diminished.  Care and control of the vehicle is compromised when our senses are distracted by other things in or around the car as well.  New legislation will enforce penalties for driving while using devices that take our attention away from the road.  There is no planned fine for driving while tired.  Caffeine, stimulants and other tricks may revive us temporarily, but these things are not reliable and do not work for long periods of time.  The only real solution to driver fatigue is to avoid being tired in the first place.  Here are some tips to make sure you are alert enough for a nighttime drive:

• No Sleep Debt: Before a long or nighttime drive, be sure that you have had several nights (in a row) of 7 to 9 hours of sleep. Plan on setting aside this time before you leave.
• Take Breaks: Taking a break during your drive will allow you to stretch, move and wake up. Plan for breaks and even a quick 20-minute nap.
• Arrive by Midnight: The time between midnight and early morning is when our body most wants to be sleeping. This is the most dangerous time to be driving in respect to sleep.
• Know the Warning Signs: If you are yawning constantly, can’t remember the last few moments of driving or cannot keep your eyes focused, pull over and take a quick nap. These are dangerous things to ignore because:

• They distract you from driving at a time when you need to concentrate.
• The situation on the road can change so quickly, in short distance, and at any speed.

When you know you should stop, the only impairment left becomes false pride.   After two hours of driving most sober people are tired of driving.  After four hours, a break is a must.  Getting out, doing some jumping jacks, and running around the vehicle three or four times sounds ridiculous, but it may save your life!  As you deliver or receive holiday cheer this season, and all year ’round, drive safe!

Often times apartment dwellers fall into deals that seem to work out great for everyone involved.  A quick-fix, discounted compromise of a place to live.  While inexpensive is a major advantage a home may possess, these cheaper alternatives usually come at a price to our safety.  Situations like these arise through casual conversations with friends, through “friends of friends”, in advertisements, and on bulletin boards at work or school.  In some cases it’s a matter of honest ignorance, but the circumstances can also be the result of intentional misrepresentation and greed.  Whatever the cause, the worst outcome is the same, an injury or death caused by people living in a space that was not properly designed for that purpose.

Imagine a basement apartment somewhere with only one exit, and no fire protection systems in place.  This domicile may have windows, but no grown person could fit through them, (except maybe the rubber wrestler!) and most children would have a lot of trouble getting up to them.  Between the ceiling and the floor above there is no fire proof material as the contractor was not aware this would be an apartment.  The wiring for the stove and kitchen was done on a weekend by the home-owner’s buddy who isn’t a licenced electrician.  Bricks above the main entrance door were never secured with a lintel, and could fall one day this spring while walking under them.  The furnace room is located downstairs, along with an old hot water heater that also runs on natural gas, and neither one has been inspected for five years which means both could be leaking carbon monoxide gas.  The most concerning issues are those not easily seen, even the water supply travels through a long section of lead pipe and is potentially contaminating every drink.  No wonder it’s so inexpensive!

These important issues must be dealt with.  The exits should be clear and accessible, without clutter.  Window wells can be made deep enough to accomodate larger windows in basements, and an egress to safety outside will solve the basement access problem.  Here is an example, however I do not endorse any particular brand.  As with any home, sm0ke and carbon monoxide alarms must be present, and it is both the home owner and the tennants’ responsibility to maintain them.  An inconvenient truth is that most multiple unit dwellings are not separated by fireproof materials.  If no permit was opened to establish code conformance, other corners were likely cut to save money and time.  This however comes at cost to the mutual protection from eachother.  If one apartment has a fire, both will surely suffer damage.

Turning a basement into a finished space is often a challege as there are elements of the home’s various systems that are often run under the first floor, or in the ceiling, if you’re downstairs.  Also the necessary facilities need to be run under the floor (usually concrete) in the basement.  If renovations are not carried out by qualified professionals important components can be ignored, or covered-up creating problems in the future.  For instance, spray foam is often used in basements behind walls as a thermal break and moisture barrier in one.  If this insulation is then covered with panelling, there is nothing stopping deadly gases from being released to the air in the event of a fire in that wall cavity.  Spray foam must be fire-proofed, or covered with drywall (or fire-proof substrate).  Wiring must be done correctly too as most homes’ electrical panels were designed to handle loads from a single family.  When renovations occur, the building standards used must be current ones, and deficiencies found from previous construction must be updated.

Sometimes the best part of these deals is that the utilities are included, because there is no separate meter or service for the apartment.  This is a good indicator that the home is not registered as a rental unit.  Not that it should really be a problem, but it can be when we’re talking about climate controls, and accessibility to necessities such as hot water and laundry areas.  Ideally, each place would have separate utils and equipment, but that almost never happens.  To cope, we can communicate our needs to fellow house-mates, compromise when necessary, and keep a steady schedule so there is a level of predictability when it comes to other’s habits.  Benefits are many, as it may be less expensive to share bills, and when vacation time comes, someone will watch your stuff for you.

I can only hope your great apartment find is a great one,  it’s up to you to ask the right questions before you get into a sticky situation.  If you think you already may be in one, be proactive.  Seek out a water test kit, what are you drinking?  Have the CO sniffer go around and find out what you’re breathing.  A Radon test kit is a click away, and well worth the 57.75 for peace of mind,  maybe the landlord will foot the bill.  It’s a tough topic to breach, but you can break the ice with this;

According to a 2007 study by B.C. Center of Disease Control, 40.3 per cent of the 50 homes tested in Clearwater had radon levels above 200 Bq/cubic meter on the main floor – the highest of any community tested. Barriere was in number two spot in the study with 30 per cent of 38 homes tested.

Another BCCDC study found that four of 10 schools in the North Thompson had radon levels above 200 Bq/cubic meter, with a maximum concentration of 422 Bq/cubic meter. The highest concentration in any school in the study was in Creston, with 3,237 Bq/cubic meter.

Being a non-smoker exposed to 200 Bq/cubic meter of radon is about as dangerous as being a bush pilot, and even more dangerous than climbing Mount Everest.

The good news about radon is that it can be easily measured and, usually, controlled without too much expense.  The first step is to test for it, so what are you waiting for?

Living in the country and working on a farm really opens a person’s eyes to the dangerous elements of rural life.  Country life seemed so exciting when we were kids.  I remember playing with toy tractors, going for car rides and shouting the names of the animals I saw.  The hazards were not apparent, but accidents happened killing and injuring both kids and adults who worked there.  Fortunately today there are encouraging statistics showing accidents are becoming less frequent.

Even small tractors are powerful enough to make a difficult job into an easy one.  Whether plowing snow, moving dirt and gravel, towing heavy loads, or providing power to all sorts of other equipment, tractors are a much needed tool around the farm.  Such power demands respect, one false move and this vehicle can cause a lot of damage.  These machines are not the toys I remember from childhood.  Maintenance is required and follows a schedule to ensure all parts are lubricated, clean, and working within tolerances.  All the fluids should show on the dipsticks.  Part of every working day on a farm is checking over equipment, making sure the small jobs are done, so they don’t evolve into bigger ones.

For kids, a farm is a wonderland of places to explore and things to do. From riding around on equipment, to climbing in hay lofts, playing with animals and walks through the bushes, there is excitement around every corner. There is pressure on parents to teach children the chores that need to be done, to show kids the ropes and that hard work is its own reward. Along with the fun comes danger.  Equipment is heavy and made of steel, which wins every battle against flesh or bone.  I hope to see a day soon when farm area schools teach equipment safety as part of their standard curriculum.  The straw piles can harbour pests which carry diseases that are readily transmitted to humans.  Along with the farm animals comes manure, which may be great fertilizer, but can also carry disease pathogens such as clostridium tetani which produces toxins that cause tetanus.  Lastly, the bush areas which may also be home to pests, can contain plant life such as poison ivy, oak, or sumac.  Being aware of these dangers may help adventurous kids explore and return home without incident.

Perhaps the habits of days gone by are fading away, as I mentioned, accidents are actually on the decline in rural Canada.  This is likely due to vigorous information campaigns run by co-operative farmers associations such as these. Manufacturers are also bearing more responsibility by building-in safety devices and affixing warning labels to their products.  Tasks that used to require a strong back for heavy lifting are being accomplished with equipment using technology that even children can learn to use.  With this great power comes the potential for expensive mistakes.  Farmers are great at telling stories who wants to hear the one about how the neighbour lost an arm to a grain auger.  Sharing experiences of accidents and near misses keeps ideas of safety in the front of peoples minds.

Eventually new safe habits will replace the old ones and the next generation of farmin’ folk will live longer, maybe long enough to enjoy the results of all the hard work!

by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)
How to Keep Your Home — and Your Family — Safe and Sound 

Every three minutes, a home in Canada is burglarized. Many of those break-ins occur while the homeowners are away. But burglaries can also take place when you are at home, at any time of the night or day.

To help lock crime out of your home and keep your house and your family safe and sound, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) offers the following tips:

• Make sure your lighting and landscaping offer a clear view of your house from the street. Keep your windows and doors free of trees, bushes or other obstructions that could provide a hiding place for someone trying to break in. Entrances with good visibility and good lighting let thieves know that your home is not an easy target.
•  Secure all doors at all times with good quality deadbolt locks. While horizontal deadbolts are generally more popular, vertical deadbolt locks are actually the most effective option available.
• When choosing a deadbolt, make sure that part of the bolt remains in the lock when in the locked position. The body of the lock should be made of solid steel, brass or bronze and it should have a solid or hardened ring or bevelled housing to protect the cylinder from being twisted off with a wrench. This cylinder should have at least five pins and you must be able to unlock it without keys from the inside.
• To further secure the entrances to your home, protect the hinge pins on all doors so they can’t be removed from the outside. To secure patio doors, consider installing an anti-Jimmy plate or adding safety bars and auxiliary locks.
• Use the viewer in your front door to see who is there before you open it.
• To keep would-be intruders from using your garage to enter your home, make sure everyone in your family knows to keep your garage door closed and locked at all times. Never leave the remote control for the garage on your car’s visor and don’t keep maintenance receipts or anything else with your address on it in your car.
• If you live in a remote area or spend prolonged periods of time away from home, consider investing in a burglar alarm system. A carefully selected and properly installed alarm can provide you and your loved ones with some welcome peace of mind.

End – Thanks CMHC

So what I did there is copy and paste.  Stealing this information and posting it here has a purpose.  Try taking a look at Maclean’s article to see how your area stacks up as of March ‘09.  If you click on the links as well from the CMHC article above there is some good information for each housing situation we encounter.  It’s true a theft or vandalism committed against you will leave you changed.  With the economy being shaky as it is, the incidences of crime are increasing, but they were at the lowest they have been since 1984.  Buy insurance if you keep a lot of valuables at home, it is usually packaged with a fire policy. 

We should try not to advertise the nice things we have, unless we want to sell them.  There has been some debate on the illuminated yard.  Some say the lights will attract attention and allow criminals to see what they can get.  The sign in the window that says “Property protected by surveillance camera” may actually read, “There is stuff here worth breaking in for!”.  Studies have proven blue outdoor lighting and sheer dim indoor lighting deters theives.  I’m getting scientific here so bear with me.  The ocean and sky appear blue because its wavelength is short, thus easily scattered.  Blue light at night causes more eyestrain and fatigue.  Also it produces the appearance of halos around objects because the short wavelength does not readily allow the eye to focus.  The scattering of blue light in our eyes impairs night vision.  This gets worse with age naturally.  Along with cutting down on light pollution and urban sky glow, blue yard lighting will force would-be burglars to use their own lighting, making them more visible to witnesses.

I’ve heard it said that locks only keep out the honest people.  If someone is determined to steal something, they’ll find a way to open the lock.  I hope to someday live in a world where everyone can leave their doors open, like a church might (or at least did in the past).  As for right now, the spare key will have to do.  Hide one, tell your friends where it is if they have to get in.  Most of us have had to climb in a window or call someone and wait untill the door is opened, it’ll ruin a good day quickly.

Security systems are good if they are monitored, but almost useless if not.  You’ll need to feel really unsafe, or have an excessive amount of assets to require one.  If you do, tell your insurance agent, it could save you some dough on the premiums. Every three minutes, a person’s sanctuary is violated.  If you are comfortable with technology being used to watch over you, set up a consultation with police and they’ll suggest some professional monitoring you can trust.