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| Category: Environment |
(requires Adobe Reader)
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| About the Book | |
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It is almost certain that the desire to be safe and secure in our home would be near the top of a list of human yearnings. In the long-ago past, a privileged few may have depended on high walls, or a moat, to protect them from intruders. Today, even those who are neither wealthy nor powerful can have an alarm system, or a service, that discourages anyone trying to break in or threaten a home's occupants. However, this won't protect you against dangers that are already inside your home and that lie, hidden and silent, like time bombs in your home environment. These threats may be in the earth upon which a home stands, or the materials used to build, repair, remodel, or furnish a dwelling. They may be hiding in the food you eat, the water you drink, even in the air you breathe. There may be danger from invisible energy fields given off by electrical appliances, nearby power lines, and wireless phones. And, worst of all, years or decades can pass between exposure to some of these threats and their effects upon your health. What are these hazards? They are asbestos, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, lead, mold, radon, and electromagnetic fields. Their possible effects include cancers of the lungs, blood, and brain; nerve and kidney damage; hearing, sight, and IQ losses; increased infant mortality; and retarded physical, mental, or emotional development. Don't depend on the government to warn you about these dangers. After there was compelling evidence that smoking caused cancer, it took 14 years for warning labels to appear on cigarette packs. The warning about drinking alcohol during pregnancy came 27 years after the dangers were known. When it comes to your own living space, it is up to you to decide how great the risks are from these seven environmental time bombs and what, if anything, you are going to do about them This book uses non-technical language to summarize what is known about these potential hazards, explains how to find out whether they exist in your home, and describes steps that you can take, and help you can get, to reduce or eliminate them.
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| About the Author | |
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Raymond O'Connor is an Emeritus Professor of Chemistry and Life Science at a California college, and has held research positions at Merck, UC Berkeley, and MIT. He is a builder, has taught real estate, and authored several books, including a chemistry textbook for students in the health sciences. |