Don't let your reno become a dust-up
Left-behind particles can leave air unhealthy, writes Jennifer O'Connor

By: Jennifer O'Connor
Saturday, May 26, 2007

So that wall needs to be knocked down and those pipes need to be taken out, but the renovations you're making to realize your dream home needn't create a dust-filled house of horrors.

Renovations can cause dust from a variety of sources, and those pesky particles can mean big trouble for your health and your house, but there are a number of precautions that homeowners need to take to control dust.

Drywall dust, lead and asbestos are some things that people doing renovations need to be aware of.

"I know some years ago I had to do a ceiling repair," says Brian Stocks, air quality manager for the Ontario Lung Association."We had it taken down. I was finding drywall dust in other parts of the house for months... That's a critical one because it's so fine it can permeate all the different rooms."

If your plans involve removing old paint, Stocks says you "have to be very careful about whether or not that paint has lead in it."

Dust can carry chemicals such as lead, and he suggests that you should consult a professional if you're going to be using lead paint.

Also call in a professional to take care of asbestos.

"(People) should understand that in many of our homes those (basement) pipes are covered with asbestos," says Stocks.

"Asbestos is not a problem as long as it's totally sealed and undisturbed, but if there's a tear in the protection around it... if there's any opening there, that asbestos can get airborne as well..."

Some other forms in which the stuff can be found are vinyl asbestos tile and the compound used to patch and smooth out drywall, says Art Robinson, president of Sick Building Solutions, a Toronto-based company that specializes in indoor air quality as well as mould inspection and removal.

Depending on the age of your home, it may not contain lead or asbestos. To be sure of the specific hazards in your house – and how you should safely deal with them – consult a professional.

After all, dust not only collects in your home, but also it can end up inside your body.

"Anything that's airborne is ripe to be inhaled," says Stocks. "The very, very fine particles are things that can get into the airways... and the smaller the particle, the more chance there is for it to bypass the respiratory system altogether and get into the blood stream...

"Our lungs are only able to trap a certain size particle, and you cough it out..."
Three keys to minimizing the effect that dust will have on you and your home are sectioning off the work area, using the right equipment and protecting your face.

One thing that Stocks learned from his ceiling repair experience, for example, is to do your best to keep the dust contained to the room in which work is being done. A way to do this, he suggests, is to put heavy duty plastic around doors.

Don't forget to seal up registers from the furnace, says Robinson.

"Particularly the intake," he says. "If you've got a cold air return, that's important, because otherwise... if the furnace happens to go on or air conditioning is on or something, you're going to suck it all right through the house. Seal that off with plastic and tape."

Stocks also suggests cleaning up thoroughly at the end of the day, damp mopping anywhere that there's dust so it doesn't accumulate.

Stocks and Robinson also have some advice as to what equipment you'll want to use.

"It would be a good idea," says Stocks, "if you're creating a lot of dust to get a good industrial sized air filter and have that (constantly) running in the room where you're working... You also want it to be able to be powerful enough to suck all that air in from that room."

A contractor should have access to this type of filter, he says, and do-it-yourselfers can rent them.

"Drywall sanding is the worst," says Robinson. "It is absolutely the worst... Rent a dustless sander – a dustless sander for wallboard – and they're not terribly expensive, but you absolutely should use that."

Finally, Stocks says people need to wear the right type of mask as well as eye protection to keep particles from causing irritation while renovating.

The Lung Association has a fact sheet on respiratory masks available at www.yourhealthyhome.ca/assets/documents/en/FS_RespMasks.pdf. Taking the necessary precautions upfront will help ensure your dream home doesn't become a nightmare.

"The problem," says Stocks, "is that people think of the home being the castle and they don't (realize) that if they were doing things for an occupational setting, they'd have to have all of this protective equipment on and be protecting themselves. But people tend to think, `Well, it's just my house. I'm going to do a quick renovation job.'

"But there are things they really need to be conscious of at the front end of all of this," he says.

Back to List of Articles