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Toxic Substances

Toxic substances exist nearly everywhere in the modern world, for they are used in various products, processes, and mechanisms found in homes and office buildings. Many of these products were included in materials in interior design before their toxic effects were known. Many substances affect only sensitive people, while the long-term health effects of many of these substances remains uncertain.

The problem of air pollution was first though of only in terms of outdoor pollutants from the burning of fossil fuels and other sources, but we have become more aware today of the indoor pollutants. In some cases, structures have even been identified as "sick buildings" because of the adverse health effects found in those who live or work there, and often the precise source of the problem ream ins elusive. Certain indoor pollutants have become well-known in recent years as their health effects have been identified, among them cigarette smoke (even second-hand cigarette smoke), asbestos, and radon, all of which are known to cause cancer (Schenker, 1991: 59-60).

Radon is a radioactive gas formed in the soil within a few feet of the surface, and it then percolates up through the soil to the air. When radon emerges beneath a house, it can become trapped within the house in a much less diluted concentration than would normally occur, making radon levels typically ten times higher inside houses than outdoors (Cohen, 1987: 2-3). Radon is believed to be an important cause of lung cancer, and only cigarette smoking is a greater cause and kills more people each year. Radon in the home gives Americans more radiation exposure than all other sources of radiation combined (Cohen: 5). Radon enters the home from the soil underneath and adjacent to the foundations, cellar, or slab. Some methods of construction are more conducive to allowing radon to enter than others. The "French drain" technique in cellar construction, for instance, include...

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Toxic Substances. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 18:53, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1692251.html