Bringing home a new baby to an environmentally friendly home

On December 21, 2010 I gave birth to my first baby, a baby boy named Evren Ataman. Prior to giving birth I became concerned with environmental contaminants that could be present in my home such as lead paint, mold and volatile organic compounds from carpets, furniture and his clothes. Luckily, I am in the environmental business so I was able to address these issues with help from my colleagues at Hydro Tech Environmental. First, we tested my home for lead paint. Lead paint tests must be performed by an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certified inspector. The test is performed in real time using an XRF analyzer. Many houses and apartments built before 1978 have paint that contain high levels of lead or lead based paint. The lead based paint can enter into our bodies by breathing or swallowing paint chips or dust that contains elevated levels of lead. These exposures are extremely harmful to children under 6 but can also cause damage in older children and adults. Luckily, my house did not have any lead based paint present. Next we performed an air quality test for mold. The mold test is performed by vacuuming an exact amount of ambient air into a canister. The canister is than analyzed to determine the types and amount of mold present. The test can identify fifteen types of mold ranging from mold typically found in households to mold that only grows under extreme water conditions. The test determined that my house contained common household molds. As a precaution I vacuumed the air and the surfaces in my home with a high efficiency vacuum. Finally, in order to test the ambient air for VOCs related to carpets and furniture we collected air samples from within my home using Summa Canisters. The results of the test indicated elevated levels of VOCs were present within the air of the nursery. The VOCs were most likely related to the new furniture, carpets and materials present. Hydro Tech remediated the levels of VOCs and I felt conformable bringing my baby to his new home. Rachel Ataman, LEED AP, is VP of technical services for Hydro Tech, Commack, N.Y.