Buzzword: Radon

What it is. Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas that results from the natural decay of uranium in soil and rock. The gas moves up from the ground and can diffuse into the air or enter a home, typically through cracks and holes in the foundation or concrete slab. (Radon can also enter the home through well water and by way of some building materials). The presence of radon in the home can pose a danger to your health, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. In fact, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in this country.

Why the buzz? Radon has been in the news recently with reports that some granite countertops can release dangerous levels of radon. This isn't a new claim—it surfaced in the 1990s—and it's fairly controversial. In April 2008, BuildClean, a nonprofit that aims to educate consumers about safe and healthy building materials, made news when it announced that its pilot project would provide free in-home radon testing of 300 homes in Houston to determine whether granite countertops emit harmful levels of radon. It's worth noting that two big makers of quartz countertops, Cambria and Cosentino (which also sells granite counters), are the sole funders of BuildClean. "By its nature, granite emits radon—the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S.," said Sara Speer Selber, BuildClean's president, in a press release at the time.

Next, in early May, W.J. Llope, Ph.D., a senior faculty fellow at the T.W. Bonner Nuclear Laboratory at Rice University in Houston, released a report in which he analyzed 18 articles covering 95 granite samples. In "Radiation and Radon from Natural Stone" (PDF download), Llope reported that 92 of the granite samples emitted no or very little radon, though two were in the 3.1-to-3.4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) range, and one registered 4.2. (These measurements assume a hypothetical unventilated room, not a standard home, according to Llope's study.) The EPA estimates that the average indoor radon level is 1.3 pCi/L and suggests that you reduce radon when the level in your home is 4 pCi/L or higher.

In this neighbor dispute, air-purifier maker clears the air

They say good fences make good neighbors, but in one New York City apartment building, an air-filtration system was key to keeping the peace.

The dispute became known last winter after news stories reported that a couple, lawyers who live in an upscale Upper West Side apartment building, had sued a neighbor on their floor because cigarette smoke was wafting from her condominium into the common hallway. The plaintiffs have a young son whose health, they claimed, was being affected by the secondhand smoke.

New Yorkers love a good real-estate dispute, and this one had the makings of a reality-TV classic (the defendant had also been accused of having her dog urinate on a the plaintiffs’ stroller). But the parties settled the matter out of court, thanks in part to the third-party efforts of Aerus, which makes vacuums and air purifiers.

Shortly after the suit was filed, Aerus offered to install an air-filtration system for free in the defendant’s apartment to help capture the smoke from her cigarettes. In a New York Times article, Joseph P. Urso, chief executive of Aerus, said the filtering system was instrumental to reaching a settlement.

We’re currently working on a story on neighborly disputes, and would love to hear your stories about any nuisances you’ve had to deal with, including issues related to topics like noise, fences, trees, boundaries/property lines, safety, and esthetics.

If you have a compelling tale to tell, send us an e-mail with all the details. As always, we’ll respect your privacy—read our privacy policy—and will keep your information confidential. Please indicate if you’re willing to be contacted by a reporter working on this story.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: When you’re in the market for an air purifier, read our latest report on these devices and follow our advice to determine whether you need one and to choose the right model for your home. Ratings of room and whole-house models are available to subscribers.

What are VOCs in paint, and is more or less of them better?

At my area home center I’m seeing more interior paints whose cans say the finishes have low or no VOCs. What are VOCs and what do the numbers mean?

The seal has definitely been broken on the issue of VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, in paint. You can expect to see more brands touting their virtuous VOC content.

VOCs are solvents that get released into the air as the paint dries. (Other products emit solvents, including adhesives, cleaning supplies, and even some home furnishings.) VOCs can cause acute symptoms, including headaches and dizziness. The long-term effects are less certain, but according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, some VOCs are suspected carcinogens.

The federal government caps the VOC content in paint at 250 grams per liter (g/l) for flat finishes and 380 g/l for other finishes (low-luster, semigloss, etc.). However, some manufacturers have opted to comply with more stringent limits—50 g/l for all finishes—set by California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District. These paints include such products as Benjamin Moore Aura, True Value Easy Care, and Glidden Evermore. In the past, low-VOC paints have performed poorly in our tests, but these products all got high marks in our latest tests of low-luster interior paints; see our Ratings (available to subscribers) for the full details.

(The Ozone Transport Commission, a multistate organization created under the Clean Air Act, also has a model rule that limits flat coatings to 100 g/l and non-flat coatings to 150 g/l. It has been adopted by the District of Columbia and the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia. Any sold in these places must be OTC-compliant.)

A handful of paints whose manufacturers claim they contain zero VOCs are now on the market. One is Mythic, which sells for $35 to $45 per gallon at independent dealers nationwide. If you’re a reader of shelter magazines, you’ve probably seen the print ads for Mythic, including the one shown here. Another zero-VOC paint is Freshaire Choice, a Home Depot exclusive that sells for $35 to $38 a gallon. Freshaire has adopted a more wholesome marketing approach: “It’s good for your family, and better for our world.”

The base of other paints might also be free of VOCs, but when any pigment is added at the point of sale, the VOC level climbs as high as 150 g/l, according to ICI Paints, which manufacturers Freshaire Choice. But the makers of Mythic and Freshaire Choice both say that the color pigments used in their finishes contain no VOCs.

Mythic and Freshaire Choice use a VOC-free color additive that is supposed to eliminate not only harmful solvents but also the telltale odor of a freshly painted room, according to their manufacturers. Carl E. Smith, CEO of the Greenguard Environmental Institute, argues that measuring emissions is as important as identifying the VOC level in a paint. “You can have a low count on VOC, but still have high emissions,” says Smith. That’s why Greenguard, which describes itself as an “industry-independent, third-party testing” organization, makes emissions central to its certification process. Currently, Freshaire Choice earns the Greenguard seal, as does Benjamin Moore Aura, whose low-luster and flat paints scored an excellent and a very good overall score, respectively; Mythic has not yet been tested by Greenguard.

Consumer Reports has not yet tested Mythic or Freshaire Choice but both will be considered for our 2009 report of interior paints. We don’t know whether these finishes will endure our typical hiding, fading, and stain resistance tests.

Remember, even though a paint might have low or no VOCs, it doesn’t do you any good if it needs constant touch-ups or reapplying.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: If you’re about to tackle a painting project, see our buying guide to interior paint. Also, read this post on avoiding common painting mistakes.

Greener cleaners go mainstream

In January, the Clorox Company launched Green Works (shown), a line of what it claims are “natural” cleaners. Days later, SC Johnson announced that a new Greenlist label would appear on its familiar blue Windex glass cleaner. Both products are now being rolled out into retailers nationwide. You know the green bandwagon is getting crowded when two behemoths of the household-cleaning industry climb aboard.

No sooner had the companies launched the products than some in the green blogosphere began questioning the safety of the ingredients used in these cleaners and whether they really are just more examples of greenwashing. So we decided to take a closer look.

Clorox Green Works
Clorox says that its Green Works products, which include all-purpose, bathroom, dilutable, glass-and-surface, and toilet-bowl cleaners, are at least 99 percent “natural.” But without a nationally accepted standard definition for that term, the company is using its own. Natural cleaners, Clorox says, are defined as having ingredients that come from primarily plant and mineral materials and contain less than 1 percent petrochemicals. But keep in mind, natural doesn’t necessarily mean nontoxic or nonirritating.

Unlike with many other cleaners, including some from Clorox, you will find a complete list of ingredients on Green Works packaging. That’s significant, since full disclosure is not required by federal law. At the same time, since it can be difficult to judge the potential harmful effects of ingredients you might be unfamiliar with, if you’re concerned about your health and safety, check for warning labels; they are required when a product contains ingredients that are known to cause harm to humans. Four out of five Green Works products carry “caution” labels, which indicate relatively less hazard than “danger” or “poison” labels would.

Four Green Works products carry the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Design for the Environment, or DfE, label (shown). The presence of the label means that the EPA evaluated the ingredients for health and environmental impacts. But it doesn’t signify that the ingredients are harmless; rather the label indicates that they are considered to be the least harmful in their chemical class. Also, since ingredients are judged individually, there is not one clear standard that all products with a DfE label must meet. Consumer Reports is in the process of evaluating the DfE label.

In April, a Sierra Club label will also appear on all the Green Works products. The label will indicate that the products have been reviewed by the club and are environmentally preferable to conventional products. However, the label is not free from conflict-of-interest, as the Sierra Club will receive financial support from Clorox as part of this partnership.

SC Johnson Greenlist
SC Johnson’s Windex Original blue glass cleaner is the first product to carry the company’s Greenlist label. However, the manufacturer claims it has been reformulating several of its products in accordance with the Greenlist process since 2001. Since the company defined the process, it decides what’s green. Basically, with Greenlist, ingredients are ranked on a more-to-less impact scale from 0 to 3. That information is then used to improve the “environmental and health profile” of products by reformulating them with ingredients considered by the company to be less harmful.

For the Windex, SC Johnson says it replaced a 0-rated solvent with a more environmentally responsible material and reduced the levels of volatile organic compounds in the cleaner. VOCs, chemicals found in many household products, can cause dizziness, headaches, and other acute symptoms.

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to find a complete list of ingredients on Greenlist products since the company is not required by federal law to disclose all the ingredients used. Without this information, it’s impossible for us to tell whether the green or any other claims are true.

SC Johnson also carries cleaning products with the DfE label, indicating they have gone through the government’s screening process for health and environmental impacts. Those products include Shout Trigger laundry stain remover and Citrus Action, Scrubbing Bubbles Soap Scum Remover with Orange Action, Shower Shine Daily Shower Cleaner, and Fantastik Oxy Power multipurpose cleaner.

In the end, the best way to find eco-friendly cleaners—from Clorox, SC Johnson, or any other manufacturer—is to look for products with labels that have been independently verified as green in the Eco-labels Center on GreenerChoices.org. Also read our report on greener cleaners and use the cleaner recipes there at home.—Kristi Wiedemann, Science and Policy Analyst, GreenerChoices.org

Essential information: For information on Earth Day and greener living, visit our Earth Day Guide.  

March 22 is World Water Day

March 22 is designated as National Goof-off Day, but that date also signifies a more significant event: World Water Day.

While water conservation and quality have been a concern in many parts of the world for years, it wasn’t a mainstream issue in this country when the United Nations General Assembly designated the day during its 1992 Conference on Environment and Development.

But today large swaths of the United States are mired in drought conditions, the water infrastructure is in bad shape in some areas, and according to an Associated Press investigation earlier this month, traces of pharmaceuticals have been found in the drinking-water supplies of 41 million Americans.

The goal of World Water Day is to bring global water issues to the fore. This year’s theme is sanitation, which covers matters like hygiene promotion, sanitary facilities, water quality, and wastewater management. In 2006, the theme was water culture; in 2007, water scarcity.

What can you do about your own water? Start by assessing the quality of your water. Your community water system is required to provide you with an annual Consumer Confidence Report, or CCR, a detailed statement on the quality of the water in your area.

If you’re concerned about water quality and want to buy a water filter, read our latest report. The article covers the different types of filters, which range from carafes that you store in the refrigerator to whole-house systems; the Ratings (available to subscribers) include more than two dozen products.

If you want to conserve water at home, read “50 Ways to Save Water” on GreenerChoices.org and follow the tips here:

• Water your lawn only when necessary. "Watering Basics" offers detailed expert advice.

• Run your washing machine only when it's full. When you’re buying a new washer, refer to our water efficiency Rating to find a model that uses less water.

• Don’t wash dirty dishes by hand or prerinse them before loading your dishwasher. A household that uses its dishwasher almost daily could save up to 6,500 gallons per year by eliminating prerinsing.—Daniel DiClerico

Americans working more, sleeping less

Psssssst. You there? Good. You haven’t nodded off yet, so keep reading.

Over the last several decades, Americans have sleeping less and less. Late-night movies, the Web, pastimes, and romance aren’t keeping you awake until all hours. What’s getting in the way of a healthy dose of Zs is a four-letter word: W-O-R-K.

A new nationwide telephone poll of 1,000 working adult Americans by the National Sleep Foundation found that each day Americans work on average 9½ hours at their job and—courtesy of the 24/7/365 connectedness that technology provides—nearly another hour from home. Something’s got to go, and for many, it’s sleep.

You need 7 to 9 hours of sleep each day, say the experts, but on average you’re getting only six hours, 40 minutes each weekday. That lack of sleep can take its toll on the job:
• About one-third of poll respondents said they’ve become very sleepy or fallen asleep at work.
• Not surprisingly, some said that their productivity was lower than expected.
• Forty percent of those polled said they’ve been impatient with coworkers at least a few times a month. (Beware of your sleepyhead colleagues.)

Outside the office, not getting enough sleep can be dangerous. More than one-third polled said they’ve nodded off or fallen asleep while driving. Yet the majority surveyed said they’re very likely to ignore their sleepiness and push themselves to keep going. That’s a bad combination: Each year in the United States, drowsy drivers cause an estimated 40,000 injuries and 1,550 deaths, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

With National Sleep Awareness Week (March 3-9) in full swing, now’s the time to remedy your bad sleeping ways. You and your children (especially teenagers) should use the following expert strategies to establish healthy sleep patterns:

1. Be consistent. Try to go to sleep and wake up at about the same time every day, including weekends.

2. Log your sleep. Keep track of how much sleep you need to feel refreshed. Adults need 7 to 9 hours every day. Most adolescents require about 9 hours of sleep, some a little more or less.

3. See the light on light. Light triggers waking and sleeping signals to the brain. Avoid light exposure at night, but turn on the lights or get outdoors as soon as possible when you wake up in the morning.

4. Avoid those nasty habits. Stay away from caffeine and nicotine after lunch. These stimulants can disrupt sleep later that evening.

5. Relax. Do soothing activities before bed and minimize or avoid activities that stimulate you within an hour of hitting the sack, such as heavy reading, working or studying, and computer games.

6. Skip the all-nighters. Staying up all night working on a presentation or cramming for an exam can drain brainpower and throw sleep patterns into chaos.

For more information on getting a good night’s sleep, check out the National Sleep Foundation’s Healthy Sleep Tips. If your teenage children aren’t sleeping enough, read what our experts have said about why teens fall asleep in class.—Kimberly Janeway

Essential information: Remember, daylight-saving time returns this Sunday morning, March 9. And if it’s your mattress that’s keeping you up at night, use our expert advice to buy a mattress without losing sleep (available to subscribers).

Claim Check: Venta-Airwasher “Humidicleaner”

The claim. The Venta-Airwasher—a “humidifier & purifier—two in one," according to the manufacturer’s Web site—is supposed to trap particles as small as 10 microns while adding moisture to the air. Four models of these German-made products are available for rooms of different sizes: LW 14 (1.2-gallon capacity, $200); LW 24 (2-gallon capacity, $300); LW 44 (3-gallon capacity, $400); and LW 84 (6-gallon capacity, $1,440).

A Venta-Airwasher uses a series of rotating plastic discs to clean the air and add moisture to it. Those discs, mounted on an axle that constantly rotates, dip in and out of a water-filled reservoir. As the wet discs emerge from the reservoir, a built-in fan evaporates the water on them, boosting humidity in a space. Particles in the air are supposed to stick to the discs, then wash off as the discs pass through the reservoir again.

The check. We tested the LW 14 and LW 44 (shown) models as we usually test air purifiers, by measuring their clean-air-delivery rate with the fine dust and cigarette smoke (0.1 to 3 microns) that are of more concern to people with respiratory problems. To test their humidifying chops, we placed each device in a sealed chamber and let it run overnight, recording the humidity level in the room.

The Consumer Reports take. The claim of ridding the air of particles as small as 10 microns is kind of a nonstarter: A 10-micron or larger particle is so big that it's unlikely to remain aloft in the air for long.

Both models we tested proved no better at removing dust and smoke than no air purifier at all. They were, however, efficient at adding moisture to the room. Note that they lack a sensor and controls to let you set a humidity level. Without those features, humidity could rise too high and contribute to mold and mildew growth. What’s more, the Venta-Airwashers are pricey and require you to buy water additive and cleaning solution—a cost of about $90 per year.

Essential information: Watch this video to see how we tested the Venta-Airwasher. Before you buy any air purifier, read the expert advice in our latest report, and find out how well some models eliminate odors and learn how much maintenance your air purifier might require.

Q&A: Can air purifiers get rid of household odors?

Our kitchen is poorly ventilated, so cooking odors tend to linger. Will an air purifier eliminate the smells?

Some manufacturers of air purifiers claim their machines will remove odors from your home as well as improve the overall air quality there. Hoping to sniff out the truth, we put five room air purifiers to the test.

Manufacturers use a range of different technologies to enable their machines to remove odors:
• The Whirlpool Whispure AP45030S, $230, highly rated in “Filtering the claims,” uses a thin carbon-fiber mat that also serves as a prefilter to remove large particles.

• The Bio-Net EGF Enhanced, a $750 electrostatic precipitator–type purifier, has a small shallow cartridge loaded with carbon granules.

• The IQAir HealthPro Plus, $800, and the Austin Air Systems HealthMate HM-400 (shown), $450, are equipped with large cartridges filled with carbon granules.

• The Winix PlasmaWave 5000, $300, combines a carbon filter with “PlasmaWave” technology said to, generate “both positive and negative ions” to create plasma clusters that “instantly neutralize viruses, bacteria, chemical vapors and odors in the air.”

Over the course of several days, we ran each of the five machines through its paces in the same sealed chamber we used to test for dust and smoke removal. Read the results of the testing below.

Get rid of bedbugs

“Bedbug Epidemic Attacks New York City” is the headline the Daily News slapped on a December 30, 2007, special investigation. The article, by Douglas Feiden, reported that “In the fiscal year that ended in June, [in New York City] 6,889 infestation complaints were logged and 2,008 building owners were hit with summonses,” a substantial jump from 537 complaints and 82 landlords citations in 2004.

“The scourge has left no section of the city untouched,” the story continued. “Complaints and enforcement actions soared in 57 of the 59 community boards.” Even designer Ralph Lauren’s offices had an outbreak of bedbugs, according to the piece.

As we reported last summer, infestations of Cimex lectularius are on the rise in the United States and elsewhere in North America, Western Europe, and Australia.

Read “How to Deal With Bedbugs” to learn more about these annoying pests, including advice on avoiding them at home and on the road.—Steven H. Saltzman

Dealing with the dangers of radon gas

January is National Radon Action Month. If you’re unsure whether your home has a high level of radon, it's time to find out if your house is among the estimated 1 in 15 with a dangerous level of the cancer-causing radioactive gas, which is estimated to claim 21,000 lives a year in this country.

"We know that radon-related deaths can be prevented," says EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Donald S. Welsh. "No one has to live in a home with high radon levels because virtually any home with a radon problem can be fixed. Our hope is that once people understand this health risk, they will test their homes for radon and fix any problems they find."

There is no national requirement to test for radon, and the gas is found in every state, though the potential for high levels is greater in some locations (the EPA radon zone map is shown) particularly in the Northeast and Midwest. Check with your state radon office to learn about state-specific regulations and to find certified radon-testing and radon-mitigation companies.

What Is Radon?
You can't smell or see radon. It's an odorless, colorless gas that is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. A study published in 2005 in the journal Epidemiology concluded your chance of getting lung cancer increases by 11 percent to 21 percent at average radon concentrations of about 3.0 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) of air over an exposure period of 5 to 30 years. The EPA recommends radon mitigation at 4.0 pCi/L. And if you're a smoker, the presence of radon in your home will considerably increase your chance of getting lung cancer.

The presence of radon doesn't mean your home was built over an atomic-waste dump. Its origins are natural—from the breakdown of uranium found in almost all soil. The gas finds its way into a home through such paths as cracks and other holes in the foundation.

Home Testing
While you might have had your home tested for radon when you purchased it, research indicates as many as 80 percent of American homes still need to be tested, according to the EPA and the Surgeon General's Office. Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, recommends not waiting for a home sale to check for the gas. If a test already has been completed, it is not necessary to repeat the test, unless you've fundamentally changed your home in a way that could allow more radon to enter the structure. Those changes include adding new windows and doors, modifying your heating or cooling system, adding or changing exhaust systems or any other element that could change the pressure and ventilation characteristics of the house, and building an addition.

Home test kits that measure the level of radon typically cost less than $20. In many locations, you can get discounted kits through your state or county health department or environmental-affairs department. The New York State Department of Health, for example, offers residents a kit for $6.75 and will provide a free kit within a year to any resident who has already had work done by a mitigation contractor and wants to verify that the radon level is low.

Short-term testing takes 2 to 7 days; long-term testing runs for 90 days, giving a more accurate picture of the year-round level. About all you have to do is place a sampling container in the lowest occupied level of your home, typically the basement. Seal the container immediately after the specified test period and send it to the laboratory marked on the package.

After the test is processed, sometimes in just a few days, you’ll receive a report by mail or e-mail or through a Web site that will show the measure of gas detected. You should perform a short-term or long-term follow-up test if the reading is more than 4.0 picocuries per liter (pCi/L). (Sometimes the test results show "Working Levels," or WL. The threshold of 4.0 pCi/L corresponds to 0.016 WL.)

If the radon level is high, you can hire a certified radon-remediation contractor. Find one through your state radon office or through these private organizations: the National Environmental Health Association and the National Radon Safety Board. Expect to pay about $800 to $2,500, with an average bill about $1,200.

Contractors will reduce the level of gas in your home by:
• Installing a suction system to draw the gas out of and away from the home
• Changing the ventilation and pressurization in the basement
• Sealing foundation cracks and openings

If you live in an area with a cold climate, it's best to test during the winter months, when windows are closed, limiting air exchange. The low pressure created by a chimney or other ventilation device can draw soil gases into the home near the foundation.

Essential information: To learn about other indoor-air-quality issues, read our report Indoor Air Quality: How Clean is the Air in Your Home? And watch this public-service announcement from the EPA.

Avoid CO poisoning at home

According to a new study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, carbon-monoxide (CO) poisoning is at its highest during January. At least two people die each day from CO poisoning in January, three times the fatality rate recorded in July and August.

Learn more about the CDC study and how to prevent a tragedy at your home in this story from our Safety blog.

Are microwave ovens dangerous?

A Web search of urban-legend purveyors reveals a treasure trove of rumors and myths related to microwave ovens. Have you heard the one about the elderly woman nuking her just-bathed pet in order to dry it? But other stories go beyond the bizarre and probably have you questioning how healthy it is to cook with one of these omnipresent appliances. One oft-told tale, for instance, details the perils of microwaving food in plastic containers.

Given the likelihood that you have a microwave in your home and with the freak-out potential of all this Internet innuendo, it's understandable that you might have questions about the alleged impact that microwaves have on your health. We've cut through the clutter for you below. After you get the lowdown, be sure to read our microwaves report. Also use our expert buying advice and Ratings of the latest models (available to subscribers) to find the right oven for your home.

Click on each item below for the answer.

Microwaves can leak radiation.

Microwave radiation can cause cancer.

Microwaves can affect pacemakers.

Microwave cooking sucks the nutrients out of food.

Heating water in a microwave could cause the liquid to violently erupt.

This quiz first appeared in the October 2006 issue of Consumer Reports on Health.

Tip of the day: How to choose an air purifier

Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, continues to urge the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to set indoor ozone limits for all air purifiers and mandate performance tests and labels disclosing the results. CU also urges the Federal Trade Commission to investigate air purifier ads to determine the validity of health-related claims.

But if you're set on buying an air purifier, read our latest report “Filtering the claims” and see our Ratings of room and whole-house models (available to subscribers) and keep these points in mind:

Consider a whole-house air purifier. Forced-air heating/cooling systems circulate so much air that they can overwhelm portable purifiers. Whole-house purifiers are a better option. Better products range from $10 to $30 for do-it-yourself filters (shown) to $1,000-plus systems that have to be installed by a pro. The latter are more effective at removing dust and smoke.DIY furnace filters do nearly as good a job of removing dust but aren't as good at removing smoke. Buy a whole-house air purifier with a filter rather than an electrostatic precipitator, which produces some ozone.

Buy a bigger portable model. Portable air purifiers work best at high speeds but are quietest on low. Run the unit on the higher, louder setting when you're not in the room, and turn it down to low when you're nearby. Or buy an air purifier certified for a larger area. We believe a clean-air delivery rate (CADR) above 350 is excellent, and one below 100 is poor. Look for CADR figures with an Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) logo. Only those were confirmed by AHAM.

Avoid ozone generators. Makers of ozone generators often target home users with claims that the devices reduce allergens such as dust, smoke, pollen, germs, and mold.

But our tests found that even at the low everyday settings on some ozone generators, their ozone production quickly exceeded the Food and Drug Administration’s 50 parts per billion limit for medical devices. Purifiers aren't considered medical devices by the FDA.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warns that relatively low levels of ozone can cause chest pain and shortness of breath. Ozone might also worsen asthma and compromise the ability of the body to fight respiratory infections. The EPA regulates outdoor ozone levels, but there is no federal agency that regulates indoor levels or air purifiers. California has recently banned the sale of ozone generators for most uses.—Ed Perratore

House paint: Get the lead out

While you might have read, heard, or seen many recent news reports about the recalls of children’s toys with excessive levels of lead paint, it’s important to remember that the leading cause of lead poisoning in children is house paint. "Protect Our Most Valuable Resource—Our Children" is the theme of this year’s National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, which runs through October 27. It’s a good time to take advantage of free lead screening and educational events hosted by many states and communities and to eliminate risks around your home.

Even though paints containing lead have been banned in this country since 1978, lead remains a looming danger for anyone living in a home built before that year since a renovation or remodeling project or even simple aging can create toxic dust. Airborne lead particles can make their way into your body or contaminate the soil around your home. The older your home, says the Environmental Protection Agency, the greater the chance it has lead-based paint, a threat even if you've laid lead-free coats over it. To minimize lead-paint exposure, follow these tips when working on your home:

Look for lead. The Environmental Protection Agency suggests you not use home test kits but rather opt for professional testing. (We are currently testing home-use testing kits for lead in paint and will report on them in a Spring 2008 issue.) A trained inspector can test painted surfaces on-site or send samples to a lab. The EPA brochure “Reducing Lead Hazards When Remodeling Your Home,” available at www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/rrpamph.pdf, offers suggestions on finding an inspector as well as information on what to look for in a remediation contractor. (The brochure is a good overall source of information for dealing with lead hazards.) Also read this entry from the Consumer Reports On Safety blog about our recent report on home lead-testing kits.

Prep properly when painting. If there are no qualified pros in your area to remediate lead paint or if you're determined to do the job yourself, steer clear of hazards when you're preparing a surface for repainting. Do not use a sander, propane torch, heat gun, dry scraper, or dry sandpaper to remove the finish. If you do, you can create dust that's tracked around the house, and fumes generated when heat is applied can be poisonous.

Protect yourself. Dust masks won't help, so wear a NIOSH-certified respirator equipped with HEPA filters to control lead exposure. Also don coveralls, goggles, and gloves. Clean up carefully with a HEPA-filter vacuum and a wet mop.

Shield your family. Move them out of the house--or at least properly seal off the work area--until the prepping is complete and the area is thoroughly cleaned. This involves removing all paints chips immediately, wiping all surfaces with warm water and a general-purpose cleaner or one designed for use with lead, and thoroughly rinsing sponges and mops afterward. Wash your kids’ hands often, especially before meals and bedtime. And regularly clean items in play areas.

Eliminate leftover paint. While paint made after 1978 does not contain lead, it can still pose a threat. For example, tossing the remaining paint sends it into the waste stream where it could contaminate soil and groundwater. See our report on dealing with leftover paint for information on how to reuse, donate, or properly dispose of cans.—Helen A.S. Popkin

Essential information: To learn about childhood lead-poisoning prevention, contact the following agencies:
• Center for Disease Control’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
• Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Environmental Protection Agency
• National Lead Information Center.

California regulates “ozone generator” air purifiers

In a step that surpasses federal and other state efforts to regulate the emissions from air purifiers, the California Air Resources Board has moved to ban the sale of some ozone generator air purifiers and could even affect some air purifiers that generate ozone as a by-product.

In late September, CARB deemed “hazardous” hundreds of different models of ozone generator and air purifier that emit ozone in amounts greater than 50 parts per billion (ppb) in tests and approved a regulation to limit the amount of ozone air purifiers can produce to be certified for open sale in the state. Manufacturers will have 24 months from when the ruling takes effect (the projected date is next April) to get their air purifiers tested by a nationally recognized testing laboratory and certified by CARB.

Beyond that 24-month period, any model that that exceeds the 50-ppb threshold must be labeled as appropriate only for industrial use and have a warning about its ozone emissions; electronic models for residential, commercial, in-vehicle, and personal use are affected. CARB also plans to embark on a public-education campaign to discourage state residents from buying ozone generators even before the 24-month period has elapsed.

The California regulation particularly targets what are commonly called ozone generators, which by design produce large amounts of ozone. Manufacturers of ozone generators tout a variety of health benefits. However, the federal EPA has cautioned generally that any ozone produced would have to greatly exceed public-health standards to be effective at removing most indoor-air contaminants and irritants, including germs, smoke, dust, and odors.

(The best-selling air purifiers in the U.S. market are known as electrostatic precipitators. Sold by Oreck, The Sharper Image, and others, they use a technology that typically produces less than 50 ppb of ozone as a by-product; these will also have to undergo testing. Another type, filter-based models, produces no ozone.)

Even relatively low levels of ground-level ozone, the chief ingredient of smog, have been linked to decreases in lung function and increased risks of throat irritation, coughing, chest pain, and lung-tissue inflammation. For outdoor air, the federal standard is a maximum eight-hour average concentration of 80 ppb; California’s standard is 70 ppb, near the level the U.S. EPA has recently proposed.

While no formal standard for indoor air exists, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration imposes a 50-ppb limit on medical devices. But air purifiers don’t fit into this classification.

The regulation, according to CARB, could prevent exposure to potentially harmful levels of ozone for an estimated 828,000 Californians. CARB has generated a list of potentially hazardous ozone generators, which includes products designed for use in single rooms, whole houses, cars, entire floors of commercial spaces, and even “personal air purifiers” worn around the neck. Note that CARB will periodically update the list, and that a product’s nonappearance on the list doesn’t mean it is necessarily safe. No whole-house products that attach to forced-air HVAC systems, for example, are so far on the list.

Eliminating allergens and ventilating spaces are more effective than any air purifier, say experts at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the American Lung Association. If you’re considering buying an air purifier, read our latest report, “Filtering the claims,” from the December 2007 of Consumer Reports .—Ed Perratore

Blueair AirPod air purifier: First Look

This compact model is quiet, but is it effective?

Name of product: Blueair AirPod

Price we paid: $100

Date of Consumer Reports full report: December 2007

What it is. This HEPA-filter-equipped air purifier, which sort of resembles an oversized iPod, stands a compact 13 inches high x 6.3 inches wide x 4.3 inches deep. The manufacturer claims this air purifier can clean the air in a 5x6-foot space. Keeping with the iPod motif, the cardboard casing of the filter slides into a so-called “docking station” that includes a small electric fan.

This air purifier comes in a number of patterns and colors, including “waves” (shown), “trees,” and “paisley,” so you can match it to a room décor. When you buy a unit in pink, Blueair will donate 5 percent of the proceeds to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

What we liked. In our preliminary tests, the AirPod was quiet even when running on high and used the least energy of all the portable models we tested.

What we didn’t like. The manufacturer’s claim that it can clean a 5x6-foot space is, in our judgment, a significant limitation since most rooms are bigger than that. We’ve been testing the AirPod in our standard 12x18-foot chamber, and it has not done a good job removing dust and smoke.

Our initial take. The AirPod is quiet and stylish, but its air-cleaning performance so far has struck a bad chord.

Look for our full report on room and whole-house air purifiers, with Ratings of 60 different models, in the December 2007 issue of Consumer Reports.

NRDC cites concerns over air fresheners

If you typically try to cover up unpleasant odors inside your home with plug-in air fresheners or scented sprays, gels, and oils, you might want to reconsider using these products. Many of them contain phthalates, according to an issue paper recently released by the Natural Resources Defense Council. Phthalates, which dissolve and then carry the smell of fragrances, have been linked to hormonal abnormalities, birth defects, and reproductive problems. Once these chemicals are released into the air, you can inhale them or they can land on your skin and be absorbed.

The NRDC, Sierra Club, the Alliance for Health Homes, and the National Center for Healthy Housing are petitioning the Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Product Safety Commission to test all air fresheners on the market and assess the risks they might pose to consumers. “Because there are no labeling requirements and even ‘natural’ products can contain toxic chemicals, it is virtually impossible for the average consumer to know which products may pose a risk,” states the NRDC report, “Clearing the Air: Hidden Hazards of Air Fresheners.”

The NRDC bought one sample of 14 different air fresheners at a major retailer in the San Francisco area and sent them to a commercial lab for testing. The products included Air Wick Scented Oil, Citrus Magic, Febreze Air Effects Air Refresher, Febreze NOTICEables Scented Oil, Glade Air Infusions, Glade PlugIn Scented Oil, Lysol Brand II Disinfectant, Oust Air Sanitizer Spray, Oust Fan Liquid Refills, Ozium Glycol-ized Air Sanitizer, Renuzit Subtle Effects, Walgreens Air Freshener Spray, Walgreens Scented Bouquet Air Freshener, and Walgreens Solid Air Freshener.

Except for Febreze Air Effects Air Refresher and Renuzit Subtle Effects, all of the products—including ones labeled “all-natural” and “unscented”—contained at least trace levels of phthalates. Walgreens has removed its air fresheners from its stores nationwide, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Chris Cathcart, president of the Consumer Specialty Products Association, a trade group that represents manufacturers of cleaners, disinfectants, and air fresheners, issued a statement calling the NRDC study “limited” and its conclusions “fatally flawed.” It went on to say that the “generalizations about phthalates are irresponsible.”

We’ll keep you posted on the news related to phthalates and air fresheners. But remember, you don’t have to rely on sprays, plug-ins, and the like to eliminate nasty odors from or add a pleasant aroma to your home.

You could, for instance, simmer a pot of water with a cinnamon stick or cloves tossed in to cover up an acrid smell in the kitchen. (Just remember to check the water level in the pot.) Click here to find out how to reduce your exposure to chemicals.—Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman

Essential information: Read “Take a whiff of this” to learn about the presence of phthalates in cosmetic fragrances. For information on Earth Day and greener living, visit our Earth Day Guide. 

Tip of the day: Find the right water filter

A flood of new water filters is making it easier than ever to remove impurities from your tap water. Here’s how to choose the right model for your home.

Analyze your water. Your first step is to review the Consumer Confidence Report, which your water system must provide to you each year. The CCR is usually mailed to you, printed in newspapers, or posted on the Web site of your local government. For help understanding the CCR, read “Deciphering your water report.”

But remember, this report tells you about the water in your municipality, not necessarily what’s coming out of your taps. The only way to know the quality of the water supply in your home is to test it. To find the names of state-certified testing labs or the state authority responsible for certifying these labs water, go to www.epa.gov/safewater/labs or call the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791). You might be able to get a test kit for free or at minimal cost.

You might also consider using the Watersafe All-In-One Drinking Water Test Kit, about $18, to check your water. In our tests, it provided quick, accurate results for chlorine, lead, nitrate, nitrite, two pesticides, pH, and total hardness. Results for bacteria were less reliable and took 48 hours.

Ultimately, you might find you don’t need a water filter.

Choose the right model. Read our analysis of the different filter types to find one that matches your lifestyle and water problems. For example, if your family consumes several gallons of water a day, a single carafe just won’t do.

Read the fine print. Even within a specific type, the claims of which contaminants a filter can remove vary. So match the filter to the contaminants in your water. And use our Ratings (available to subscribers) to gauge the efficacy of each device.

Add in the long-term costs. All but one of the 27 models we tested for our latest report have filters that you must replace periodically. Our Ratings include the yearly filter-replacement cost for each model; it ranges from $20 to $330 annually.

Illustration by Mark Synder

Mattress Myth: Firmer is better

It’s a common misconception that a firmer mattress is a better mattress. Orthopedists once recommended sleeping on an extremely firm mattress, but there’s little evidence to support that view. The optimal surface is purely subjective, says Clete Kushida, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Stanford University Center for Human Sleep Research.

So the best mattress for you is the one that’s most comfortable. A study published in 2003 in the British medical journal The Lancet suggested that individuals who suffer from lower back pain would benefit from a medium-firm sleeping surface. That conclusion makes sense to several experts we interviewed. If a mattress is too firm, it won’t support all body parts evenly and may cause discomfort at the heaviest points (hips and shoulders). Too soft, and you could sink into the surface and have a hard time moving, which could cause tingling, numbness, or aches.

Alan Hedge, Ph.D., a professor of ergonomics at Cornell University, noted that the best mattress supports your spine at all points while allowing it to maintain its natural curve. By age 40, according to  Hedge, skin loses elasticity and becomes more sensitive to pressure points, which argues for a softer, more cushiony surface as you age. “Slightly softer works better because there’s less compression on the skin,” he said.

When shopping for a new mattress, keep these tips in mind:

• Don’t rely on product names. Each maker describes its products differently. One company’s ultraplush might be another’s supersoft.
• Wear loose clothes and shoes you can slip off. Spend at least five minutes on each side and your back (your stomach, too, if that’s a preferred position).
• Don’t be embarrassed to lie on many mattresses at the store. Salespeople expect it. Our panelists who took beds home for a monthlong trial rarely changed the opinion they formed after the first night. On the whole, their opinions also tracked with those of our 15-minute testers.

Essential information: Read “Mattress myths” to learn how to be a savvy shopper. Check out our buying guide for more advice on getting the perfect bed. And find out how to get a really good night’s sleep.

What’s that you said about mower noise?

By the time late summer rolls around, it’s easy to tell that my yard isn’t my biggest priority. Weeds tend to flourish because my wife and I use chemicals sparingly and the time I have to yank them out is limited. The lawn has also lost some of its luster; a bag of fertilizer sits in the garage and my watering schedule is erratic.

But there is one part of yard care that I get right, and it carries greater rewards than weed-free flower beds or a putting-green caliber lawn: hearing protection. Whether you’re running a push mower, lawn tractor, or practically any other piece of yard equipment—power blowers come readily to mind—you need to protect your ears from the aural assault of gear that generates noise levels that can easily exceed those of city traffic.

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders warns that prolonged exposure to any noise above 85 dBA for as briefly as 30 minutes can cause gradual hearing loss. Despite manufacturer claims of reduced noise, all the gas mowers and tractors in our recent report ran at or above 85 dBA.

I use the earmuff variety of hearing protection; I keep one pair in the basement for indoor work and another one in the garage, near the mower. It doesn’t matter which type of protection you use, as long as it’s rated for the noise level of the activity you’re doing and you closely follow instructions.—Ed Perratore

Essential information: Learn how to protect yourself from hearing loss.

Inside CR Test Labs: Vacuum regularly to avoid allergies

On sweltering days like those that affected huge swaths of the country last week, warnings about ozone levels and harmful particles in the air abound, highlighting concerns about outdoor-air quality.

But if you suffer from allergies, being indoors might not provide any relief, especially when you vacuum. Allergen-related health concerns have spawned an increasing number of claims from vacuum manufacturers, like the ability to filter “99.99% of particles down to .3 microns,” as the Oreck Web site boasts about the XL Titanium Series cleaner.

For our October 2007 report on vacuum cleaners, the project team decided to check some of the latest allergen-trapping claims from manufacturers. Our testers generally count smaller particles from 0.1 to 5 microns as part of their standard vacuum-emissions testing, according to project leader Deborah Wallace. The smaller particles typically get dispersed into the air and are inhaled. For this test, however, they wanted to count larger particles, in the 10- to 25-micron range, which come from pollen, animal dander, and assorted insect parts and feces from dust mites and other tiny critters. To test this size particles, they used an even more sensitive machine, the LASAIR II model 310A.

(All that counting brought me back to when my kids would watch Sesame Street’s The Count. This cheerful vampire delighted not in biting necks but rather in counting everything he happened upon, as he crooned in “The Song of the Count”:

“You know that I am called the Count
Because I really love to count
I could sit and count all day
Sometimes I get carried away . . . ")

Testers enlisted the Dirt Devil Ultra Vision Turbo, Dyson DC14 Complete, and Electrolux Intensity, all of which make allergen-capture claims. They performed the same tests with the Kenmore Progressive With Direct Drive 35922, the top-rated upright from our last report, once with a HEPA dust bag and once with a standard dust bag. (The HEPA bag has allergen-capture claims while the regular bag does not.)

The testers found that while any vacuuming task produces an initial jump in airborne allergens, relatively large and heavy 10- to 25-micron particles immediately fall back to the floor. The Dirt Devil, Dyson, and Electrolux did trap allergens, but that is not surprising since the particles are large. More important is how well the vacuum captured smaller particles; you’ll find those emissions-test results in the October 2007 issue, on sale in September.

The bottom line? Don’t rush out to buy a vacuum that touts extraordinary allergen-trapping powers. Just vacuum regularly as part of an overall allergen-elimination plan.—Ed Perratore

Essential information: For expert advice on choosing a vacuum, see our buying advice and video buyer’s guide. Then refer to our Ratings for upright and canister vacuums (available to subscribers) before you shop. For more on indoor-air quality, use this guide from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Rain, rain go away

I’m writing this post from my New Jersey home, not our headquarters in Yonkers, N.Y. Due to the record-setting torrential downpours and resulting flooding that have swamped the New York City metropolitan area since Saturday night, our offices are closed today.

I’d probably have wanted to work from home anyway, as I’m concerned about a wet basement—the rain continues to fall and isn’t expected to stop until at least tomorrow night. So far the French drains and sump pumps, working overtime, have kept things dry, but my wet/dry vac is on the ready just in case.

(If you don’t have one of these essential tools, buy a large-capacity model before the summer storm season arrives; our tests revealed that bigger ones tend to work best and be the best equipped. No need to wait for a weather emergency to stock up on supplies and gear.)

Here in the Northeast, most homes have basements, and while it’s a definite plus to have the added living and storage space, these below-ground areas do give you more possible problems to consider.

Radon is a concern nationwide, but if your basement is riddled with cracks or holes, the cancer-causing gas can more easily make its way into your house. “Dealing with the dangers of radon gas” will help you identify this threat and eradicate it from your home.

If your basement suffers water damage after a hurricane or heavy rain, mold certainly is another concern. I’ve already e-mailed my neighbors down the block a link to “Mold: Is your home at risk?” Last night, I helped them deal with the heavy water in their basement, and I know they’ll want to avoid a mold problem. Also see this recent post about mold.

Finally, check your homeowner’s policy to make sure you’re covered against water damage. As we reported in a June 2006 story, many insurance policies fail to cover you against damages inflicted by hurricanes, floods, and other devastating scenarios.

I’m hopeful the weather will clear by Wednesday. After all, I’m going to my first Yankees game of the 2007 season.—Steven H. Saltzman

Be on the lookout for mold

After reviewing the latest studies, Environment Canada has issued new indoor-air quality-standards for mold (shown growing in the lab) in homes. Since mold and mildew problems tend to be worse during damp periods of spring and summer, heed the recommendations in the new guidelines.

Environment Canada, the equivalent of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, says mold growth in residential buildings poses a significant health hazard, depending on the level of exposure and sensitivity of individuals. Possible negative health effects include increased asthma-related symptoms, such as chronic wheezing and irritation, and other respiratory conditions. Environment Canada recommends that you control humidity, repair water damage, and thoroughly clean any visible or concealed mold.

You can use bathrooms fans (available to subscribers) and range hoods to control humidity in bathrooms and the kitchen; remember to vent them to the outdoors so they do their job. Also repair anything that could allow moisture to enter your home and lead to mold growth—leaky roofs; damaged or missing chimney and window flashing, shingles, and siding; and leaky pipes.

Consumer Reports recommends against using mold test kits. All those we’ve tested have had major problems and are not reliable. What’s more, identifying the mold species growing in your home is less important than eradicating it.

Don’t be alarmed if you see a little mold on your shower curtain or around your bathtub; that doesn’t usually signal a major problem. If mold covers less than 10 square feet, say in your basement or crawlspace, you might be able to eliminate the problem yourself. "Getting rid of mold" offers step-by-step instructions.

But you'll need to hire a professional mold remediator for larger areas if you or a family member is highly allergic, if your ventilation system is contaminated, or if contaminated water is involved. "Finding a pro" offers links to government and professional associations that can help you locate a qualified contractor. An untrained contractor can actually do more harm than good by spreading mold throughout your home.

Other helpful sources for mold information and cleanup are the fact sheet from the Environmental Protection Agency and "Protect Yourself From Mold" and the mold primer from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman