My Chemical-Free House

A Guide to Creating a Healthy Home

How a Building Biologist Can Help you Create a Healthy Home

by 13 Comments

I am now certified as a Building Biologist Practitioner with the International Institute for Building-Biology and Ecology!

The Institute’s mission is “to help create healthy homes, schools, and workplaces, free of toxins in the indoor air and tap water, and electromagnetic pollutants.”

I hold a number of other certifications that can be found here.

My Main Areas of Expertise

1.

Digging deep into the toxins found in building materials to help even the extremely chemically sensitive with new builds and renos. I dig into testing, studies, and patents to find out what the companies aren’t telling us. I test out materials myself, and look to the experience of the most extremely sensitive for guidance.

2.

Attention to building science principles, to make sure your materials are compatible with your moisture management system. No compromises on performance that will lead to mold!

3.

Helping those extremely sensitive to mold and chemicals find safe housing. This may include analyzing photos of homes, choosing healthy locations, choosing healthy trailers or RVs, or help embarking on a mold sabbatical.

What is a Building Biologist?

Individual Building Biologists offer different services, but our aim is always to help you create a healthy home or work environment.

We look at how indoor environments can adversely affect health.

In order to create healthier indoor environments, we focus on building materials, building processes, indoor air quality, and EMFs.

Personally I have chosen not to consult or advise on EMF/EMR.

I do focus more intensely on digging deeper into toxins in materials as well as building science principles to help you prevent mold.

What does a Building Biologist do?

Some Building Biologists do in-home testing. They may come in with various instruments to measure mold, VOCs, and EMF/EMR.

My approach is different. I use an experiential approach. While we will certainly use scientific information that is available to choose safe products and prevent mold, the way that we go through the process includes your body’s reactions.

With the Mold Avoidance approach, pioneered by Erik Johnson and Lisa Petrison, your body will guide you through “unmasking’ and the ability to detect mold and other toxins. This will help you choose safer housing.

My Guiding Philosophy

I use hard science to investigate in detail what companies aren’t telling us about what’s in a product. But your body will ultimately be the lead in your healing.

I don’t believe in the bucket theory, but rather the master toxin theory.

I’ve been closely studying recovery stories for 10 years. The pattern I have seen and experienced is that when we avoid the master toxins (mold certainly being the biggest one but not the only one), that the body will tell you what to avoid in order to heal.

Building for the Extremely (Mold and Chemically) Sensitive

I have assisted with the following areas:

  • Choosing non-toxic materials for a new build or renovation
  • Building a safe a tiny house, trailer, or emergency structure
  • Remediating offgassing, fragrance, and other odors from buildings
  • Experience with which materials tend to work best for extremely sensitive individuals
  • Selecting non-toxic furniture and mattresses
  • Choosing the right water and portable air filter for your home
  • Choosing safe RVs and camping gear

My Credentials: To see a list of my continuing education courses & certifications, check out the full list here or on my Linkedin Page. Below is my certificate for the Building Biology course.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Stacey says

    Love your site and information.

    One thing I’m finding unclear is whether you trust West Elm’s “sustainably sourced” wood products.
    They are super unclear about the details of the wood. Yes they use FSC in some of their products but
    is engineered wood a problem for example in their bed frames re possible use of formaldehyde/ other adhesives? They don’t indicate anything about this. And I couldn’t find a clear answer from your site about engineered wood – is it ok sometimes? how to know?
    https://www.westelm.com/products/mid-century-platform-bed-h2600/?pkey=csustainably-sourced

    Was curious your take.
    Thanks

    Reply

    • Corinne says

      It’s not that I trust or don’t trust them, I would need to know the exact type of engineered wood that is in it to know the level of offgassing. I have a post on engineered woods.

      Reply

  3. Marie Janisse says

    I just sold my house which was my safe haven. I need to create a new one and would appreciate your help. How do I contact you?

    Marie

    Reply

  6. KJGartner says

    Corinne, I am interested in pursuing a similar career path, based on life circumstances that have made me acutely aware of environmental toxins and true "clean living" for sensitive folks. I have just been building my own forever home for the last year and expect it to be the most nourishing one I have ever lived in.

    I am a bit troubled about the negative perception I have encountered from folks in the 'green' building trades about "building biology". To me, building biology seems a benign and likely helpful resource to offer those performing new construction or renovations, especially if there are already manifested health concerns. However, there was overmuch vitriol in the online exchange about 'snake oil', money-grabbing charlatans, EMF concerns being 'pseudo-science' and that even the 'precautionary principle' was inappropriate unless there is "real evidence". Wow! These are not typical internet trolls, but actually professionals in a paid, whose advice I otherwise have admired for years.

    Other than obviously only working with clients that are open-minded enough to see the value, have you encountered such negativism in your new building biologist capacity, and if so, how have you dealt with such? There is a good deal of 'science' if someone wants to refute point-by-point, but so many have been brainwashed about normalcy (where being exposed to toxins daily is no big deal — ugh!) it hardly seems a worthy way to expend one's energy.

    Keep up the good work!

    Reply

    • Corinne says

      Hi, no I haven't personally come across that directed at me except for one other Building Biologist who sells a specific product that many people don't do well with and I say that. For some reason he went after Building Biologists in general in his podcast and to be careful trusting them. Which I agree with in general, in that you have to know your sources. But he has no additional training like architecture of toxologist or anything else, yet claims to have all the expertise. I have seen Building Biologists who give incorrect building science advice that will lead to mould, so there has to be caution on technical advice. I work with architects and engineers for this side of things. Really there is no perfect degree for what we are trying to do, sure an architect learns a little about LEED, a chemist can analyse some of the ingredients and how they offgas, but there is no single degree for this kind of work. I'm just extremely careful with my sources of where I get my information and that is all I can do. I stick with hard science, what the companies say, a completely justified amount of scepticism on what the companies say, and I spend a lot of time surveying super sensitive folks and how they react to materials and test them out myself too.

      Another major problem in this industry more than Building Biologists being a bit of a nebulous term is that there are insufficient studies on what chemicals offgas from products exactly, for how long and how volatile are they. There is also insufficient disclosures from companies on the additives they use whether technically proprietary or not.

      Reply

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