While undergoing treatment for breast cancer, Carol Harrigan went to stay with her brother. When she was given the all-clear she breathed a sigh of relief and moved back home. But within a few weeks the cancer was back. Four months later she died. Her daughter Claire wanted to know why. Was it the house that had killed her?
We have all heard about sick building syndrome, but how much do we think about what might be harming our health in the comfort of our own home? There could be a lot more than the ominous dust mite to fear. A report published last week by researchers at Bristol University showed a possible link between the use of aerosols and air fresheners in the home and stomach upsets and earache in young children.
Our homes are full of dangerous chemicals, and not just the ones we use to 'clean' them. Asthma and eczema sufferers could be reacting to chemicals in their easy-care bedding. Some fire-retardant chemicals are highly toxic. Formaldehyde gas can be released by carpets, upholstery fabrics, ply and particle board, causing headaches, dizziness, rashes, nausea and irritation to the eyes, nose and throat. Then there are phthalates - chemicals used to make plastic flexible (think vinyl flooring and synthetic carpets). Children who crawl and play at floor level are exposed to the highest levels of these chemicals which can interfere with the reproductive system and have also been linked to liver damage and respiratory problems.
'People should be able to trust that everything they buy for the home is free from hazardous chemicals,' says Dr David Santillo, senior scientist at the Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter. 'We are trying to make people more aware of chemicals in products, because they are not getting the information else where.' His team has analysed hundreds of products. Recent examination of samples of house dust revealed the presence of highly toxic fire-retardant chemicals. 'These are turning up in people's bodies. They could be coming from textiles and electronic equipment,' says Santillo. When you think about cot mat tresses it makes you shudder. It's no surprise that reported cases of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) are on the rise. It's a condition that is hard to pin down as symptoms are many and varied, often mimicking those of colds or flu and including joint pains, genito-urinary problems and auto-immune disorders.
Claire looked at all the potentially toxic things in her mother's home. She also considered the less scientifically demonstrable effects of electromagnetic fields - not just from pylons and phone masts but from power points and appliances in the home - that could damage the immune system. Then she remembered that a dowser had visited the home and announced that it was in an area of geopathic stress, the stress line apparently right below her mother's bed. Geopathic stress lines are said to be areas where 'negative' energy leaks out of the earth's core. In 1929 German scientist and dowser Gustav Freiherr von Pohl drew up a map of areas of geopathic stress in the town of Vilsbiburg. He subsequently found that all the 54 patients who had died of cancer there since records had been kept had slept in beds in areas marked on his map. But there has been little scientific research since.
Claire also looked at the things that affect our sense of well-being - light, colour and smell. She left her job in the City to work as a builder and alternative practitioner. She does her own brand of feng shui on people's homes, using colour and aromatherapy as well as practical things like de-cluttering. Occasionally she gets out her dowsing rods. She has been particularly successful at giving homes that positive feeling that makes them sell. And she's rebuilding the inside of her own home as a 'ritual retreat'.
Here's how to clear the air
Banish hazardous chemicals
Before you buy anything new for your home, check out Greenpeace's Chemical House (www.greenpeace.org.uk/toxics) that lists products containing potentially dangerous levels of toxic chemicals.
Safe cleaning
Diluted vinegar, lemon and salt are as effective as many chemically based cleaning products. They smell better too. Claire recommends a few drops of lemon grass essence in water.
Check air quality
Make sure your home is properly ventilated. The British Lung Foundation has good advice on how to improve air quality in the home: see www.britishlungfoundation.org/your-home-and-your-lungs.asp.
Get new bedding
We spend a third of our lives in bed, so it makes sense to buy bedding and mattresses that don't poison us. Avoid easy-care fabrics. For pure natural fibre mattresses without chemical fire retardants, see www.naturalmat.com.
Move the furniture
If you think electromagnetic stress could be disturbing your sleep, make sure there's nothing plugged in next to your bed.
Use non-toxic building materials, flooring and paint
For a selection of environmentally friendly products see www.constructionresources.com. The Green Shop www.greenshop.co.uk has a good range of natural paints.
Keep house plants
In 1985 Dr Bill Wolverton, conducting tests for Nasa, found that one spider plant could reduce highly toxic levels of carbon monoxide by 96 per cent in 24 hours. Plants are effective in removing formaldehyde and benzene from the environment too. Eco Friendly House Plants - 50 indoor plants that purify the air is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson (£9.99)
Look underground
If your home still makes you unwell, you could call a dowser to detect any untoward earthly undercurrents. See www.healthyandwise.co.uk.
· General contacts: The Healthy House www.healthy-house.co.uk; Claire Harrigan 020 8983 2077 www.lifestyletherapy.com
