Can the Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico affect Indoor Air Quality?

We have been asked this question with increasing frequency over the last few weeks.

There are a myriad of answers to the question~ Yes, No, Probably not, Could be a problem.

This depends on where the building is in relation to the Oil

Homes on the Beach ? ~Yes, but not in all cases~ Ten miles from the shore ?~No~ A house somewhere in-between?~ Probably not.

The source of the problem is the odor coming from the tar-balls or large mats of oil that are beginning to assault more & more of our shoreline. This associated VOC or Volatile Organic Compound is what comes from the oil. A VOC is just a fancy way of saying "man-made Odor or Fume"; for instance- Think gasoline or paint fumes and glue or adhesive vapors.

To me, it smells like hot tar or paving materials; its worse when the wind is just right or the tar is exposed to the sunlight. (these are the conditions where I've smelled it, but it varies )

So the $64,000 question is ~ can this be harmful? Yes, oil vapors or fumes are not healthy room-mates! How'd you like to share the bathroom with a VOC ? Well, in some cases we already do~ that's why we all have bathfans!

NEXT QUESTION: Well how bad could it be? This depends on how leaky the building is & the driving force behind the vapors (wind). And also how close you are to the oil source.

The pathway indoors is Gaps, Cracks, & Holes in the building envelope (the outer perimeter)

~so eliminate the Pathways and we're good, Right?

No, the Building needs to breathe~ You can't live in a bubble.

So, the strategy would be some sort of treatment of the indoor air and minimizing or reducing the pathways for these nasty vapors & fumes where they get in in the first place

This IAQ/Oil issue is not too big of a problem, if you put it into perspective. We caulk our windows, weatherstrip our doors and use "activated charcoal" on fumes inside the building~

Wow, I'm starting to see a potential for saving energy here!!

If it makes sense for any of you to have a conversation about all this- just contact me at the following email todd@gulfcoastaircare.com