NEW HOUSE DESIGNS HELP ALLERGY SUFFERERS.Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Services For people who suffer from allergies or asthma, there are refuges in this world of dust and pollen. They're called Health Houses. Support from the U.S. Department of Energy has allowed the American Lung Association The American Lung Association (ALA) is a non-profit organization that "fights lung disease in all its forms, with special emphasis on asthma, tobacco control and environmental health". and the Florida Solar Energy Center to work together on a consumer education demonstration project. The project shows ways to improve indoor air quality Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) deals with the content of interior air that could affect health and comfort of building occupants. The IAQ may be compromised by microbial contaminants (mold, bacteria), chemicals (such as carbon monoxide, radon), allergens, or any mass or energy stressor and energy and resource efficiency through advanced building construction techniques and careful product selection. Health Houses are designed to help those with allergies and asthma breathe easier because the construction does several things: Minimizes dust and pollen through airtight buildings and mechanical ventilation mechanical ventilation n. A mode of assisted or controlled ventilation using mechanical devices that cycle automatically to generate airway pressure. . Controls indoor relative humidity relative humidity n. The ratio of the amount of water vapor in the air at a specific temperature to the maximum amount that the air could hold at that temperature, expressed as a percentage. . Minimizes the use of volatile organic compounds volatile organic compound Environment Any toxic cabon-based (organic) substance that easily become vapors or gases–eg, solvents–paint thinners, lacquer thinner, degreasers, dry cleaning fluids . Uses energy-efficient products. The Health Houses are built to stringent performance criteria that look at such issues as the tightness of the house, humidity control, pressure balance, appliances, window performance and other features, including overall house design. Twelve Health Houses already have been built, remodeled or are under construction around the country - four in Minneapolis and one each in Orlando, Fla.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Birmingham, Ala.; Huntsville, Ala.; Rochester, N.Y.; Detroit; Raleigh, N.C.; and New Orleans. By 1997, two communities of at least 100 Health Houses each in an eastern suburb of Minneapolis and in a suburb near Orlando, Fla., will be under construction, said Dianne Walsh Astry, national director of Health House, based in Minneapolis. No Health Houses are planned yet for California, Astry said. The major goal of these homes is to reduce the allergens most commonly found indoors, including dust mite dust mite House dust mite, see there allergens, pollens from grasses and weeds, pet danders, molds and cockroach cockroach or roach, name applied to approximately 3,500 species of flat-bodied, oval insects forming the order Blattodea. Cockroaches have long antennae, long legs adapted to running, and a flat extension of the upper body wall that conceals the allergens. With about 20 percent of the population suffering from allergies and 5 percent of the population suffering from asthma, the improved indoor air quality in these homes could help a lot of people breathe easier. For more information on indoor air quality, contact a local chapter of the American Lung Association. For more information about Health Houses, call Astry at (612) 885-0338, or write the Florida Solar Energy Center, Public Information Office, 1679 Clearlake Road, Cocoa, Fla. 32922. |
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