How to Measure EMF

ElectroMagnetic EMF Spectrum
How to Measure EMF: The Art of Knowing What You Are Studying There are a lot of people concerned about electromagnetic fields (EMF) and electromagnetic radiation (EMR or also known as radio frequency (RF)).  People want to know how to measure EMF. So much so, that they purchase detectors and meters for themselves and attempt to
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Asthma and Buildings

Asthma and Buildings
Asthma and Buildings – California and US Trends in Asthma Buildings are too often neglected in the asthma equation. Asthma is sometimes defined as a symptom of poor indoor air quality, and other times defined as a Building Related Illness. This blog references the recently released report, “Asthma in California: A Surveillance Report,” compiled by
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HVAC and Filtration Best Practices for Healthy Home

HVAC and filtration best practices
HVAC and Filtration Best Practices for Healthy Home This blog expands on an earlier post about the 25 Principles of Building Biology and the Healthy Home Standard Checklist. Here we’ll dive deeper into the Indoor Air Quality Checklist, and focus on best practices for Heating, Cooling and Ventilating a healthy building. “HVAC and Filtration Best Practices for Healthy
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Antioch College Internship

Antioch College Internship
Healthy Building Science has officially employed two Antioch College students. I did my first “co-op” in 1996 in a peace camp deep in the heart of Chiapas during the Zapatista uprising. Funny how the circle comes all the way around. Dustin Mapel is an Antioch student currently interning with Healthy Building Science. Antioch has long
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Building Biology 25 Principles

Building Biology 25 Principles
No one rating system can isolate every possible environmental angle, and the International Institute of Building Biology founders were certainly most interested in human health, but it is hard to imagine a more comprehensive healthy building checklist than what’s provided in the Building Biology 25 Principles. It is quite difficult to incorporate every principle into
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German Building Biologist in the US – Leaves Lasting Impression

Building Biologist in the US
Helmut Ziehe is the Building Biologist who brought Building Biology to the United States. Helmut learned Bau-Biologie in Germany from the “mothership.” In Germany he was trained as an environmentally-conscious architect at the Technical University of Berlin, followed by a Master’s Degree from the London School of Architecture. Helmut mastered 5 languages during his life
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Residential Wiring Best Practices

Residential Wiring Best
PART 2: Rewiring Options, Benefits and Drawbacks In Part One I discussed knob and tube wiring and the potential problems and issues that may arise if your home still contains legacy knob and tube. Perhaps your home still contains knob and tube, or you are considering remodeling or planning new construction. In this article, I will explain
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Efficient versus Healthy: A Knockout Punch for Green Building

Efficient vs Healthy Building
Recently appeared in the NorthBay Biz Journal, GreenScene by Alex Stadtner A battle has been raging in the design-build community for decades. Much is at stake, yet few are paying attention. Here’s the blow-by-blow from a battle that affects everyone. Ringside. Energy Efficient versus Healthy Building. A hush before the bell rings… When “green building” is mentioned
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Exposure Limits in US – Alphabet Soup

Exposure Limits in US
Exposure Limits in US – Alphabet Soup Exposure Limits in US should be super simple. “Do not exceed #.” But it’s a government regulatory issue… so how simple could it be? Here is a summary of the primary exposure limits used by our government and industrial hygienists in the United States. Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) – OSHA
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Toxic Building Materials in Residential Construction

toxic building materials
Toxic Building Materials in Residential Construction A reporter from Angie’s List Magazine just asked for my opinion on toxic building materials in residential construction… and while writing my response I realized there was some valuable information to share. Hopefully Angie’s List Magazine will decide to run the piece. Here is my response to some great
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