To: The Weatherization Department
The Friday Report Friday July 19, 1996
FromWright Energy's
Weatherization Network
since 1984
970-349-0551 fax
970-349-0923 voice Doc@CrestedButte.com
WebSite: http://WrightEnergy.com
(should be up sometime today.)
NEWS from THE HEALTHY HOUSE INSTITUTE
Providing information for better health to America s Homeowners, designers,
and builders. THE HEALTHY HOUSE INSTITUTE 430 North Sewell Road Bloomington,
IN 47408 (812) 332-5073 UNDERSTANDING VENTILATION How to design, select,
and install residential ventilation systems by John Bower Indoor air pollution
is often ranked as the number one environmental problem facing America.
In fact, according to a Special Legislative Commission of the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts, Indoor air pollution... accounts for 50% of all illness
(and) health care costs (from it's effects) are estimated at $100 billion
per year.
Most Americans probably don t realize that indoor air poses a serious health
threat. But it does, and it's now becoming evident that the stale, polluted
air found in many homes can be responsible for symptoms ranging from sinus
congestion, headache, drowsiness, and inability to concentrate to depression,
cancer, immune-system damage, and even death.
More and more, houses are being filled with polluting materials they're
being built with ever-increasing quantities of human construction products,
they're being decorated with synthetically derived furnishings, and they're
being maintained with noxious household cleaners. At the same time this
trend has been taking place, houses have also been made tighter for greater
energy efficiency but without planned ventilation systems. As a result,
indoor air often contains excessive amounts of toxic chemicals, mold spores,
combustion gases, radioactive radon, animal dander, dust mite feces, as
well as by-products of human metabolism such
as carbon dioxide and water vapor. In the best of situations, today's. houses
are only supplied with fresh air occasionally and haphazardly.
Consequently, the air in many houses adversely affects the health and comfort
of the occupants, and sometimes the integrity of the structure itself. Fortunately,
a new 432-page book titled Understanding Ventilation contains all the information
needed to master this important subject. This in-depth guide is written
in easy-to-understand language by John Bower, a well-respected expert who
has been in volved in healthy construction for over 11 years. Based on comprehensive
research, lengthy discussions with top North-American authorities, and extensive
personal experience, this single book will likely change the way houses
are now built.
Bower wants ventilation to be as integral, expected, and required in houses
as plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical wiring. Understanding Ventilation
thoroughly covers every aspect of residential ventilation. Included are
sections dealing with common indoor air pollutants, how they get into the
air, and their potential health consequences. Also discussed are the major
kinds of ventilation natural, accidental, and controlled. The physics of
air movement, infiltration and exfiltration, and the implications of pressure
imbalances are all explained. In addition, Bower demonstrates why loose
construction isn't necessarily healthy and how an improperly designed ventilation
system can cause a chimney to malfunction.
Whole chapters are devoted to capacity, costs, and filtration. Of special
note are the book's lengthy bibliography, helpful glossary, and extensive
listing of ventilation manufacturers and dealers. Undoubtedly, Understanding
Ventilation will become an essential reference book for anyone interested
in mor e comfortable, fresher, cleaner, and healthier indoor air.
John Bower has a BS from Purdue University and a MA from Ball State University.
He has worked in the fields of education, environmental engineering, as
well as in conventional house design and construction. After his wife, Lynn,
became ill as a result of exposure to typical building materials, Bower
began focusing on less-toxic construction practices and products.
Understanding Ventilation is his third book. His earlier books, The Healthy
House and Healthy House Building, and a video, Your House, Your Health,
are
already considered classics. A professional consultant, Bower has written
scores of magazine articles, appeared on dozens of radio and television
programs, and has been a regular speaker at major housing conferences. In
1991, he was presented with a Professional Achievement Award for Healthy
House Advocacy by Professional Builder and Remodeler magazine.
UNDERSTANDING VENTILATION 432 pages 81/2 x 11 hardcover $31.95 ISBN
O9637156-5-8
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable
from magic
.
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