The Healthy House

"Eliminate, separate, ventilate." No, this is not Pentagon-ese for a military ground maneuver, but rather our hosts' John and Lynn Bower's principles of healthy house design. During a remodel in the mid-1980s, Lynn Bower became very sick with MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity), eventually tracing her illness to the gases and vapors produced by various building materials. Today, some estimate that as much as 50% of illness is directly related to indoor air pollution, brought on by the increased use of synthetic building, decorating and cleaning products, coupled with tighter, poorly ventilated houses. In The Healthy House, a TV-aired 13 episode series (kind of a This New House), the Bower's take viewers through the step-by-step process of building their home--foundation, construction, framing, doors and windows, wiring, plumbing, air filtration, floor coverings, wall finishes, countertops (stainless steel, of course), all with an emphasis on reducing pollutants. Although not the spiffiest of productions, and sometimes given to unintentional humor (while discussing gases, Bower deadpans that "some of these gases are produced by the result of normal human metabolism," which led me to wonder if this was some kind of oblique reference to cutting the cheese), this series--a timely and more comprehensive update to John Bower's 1992 video Your House, Your Health: A Non-Toxic Building Guide (VL-9/92)--is a great resource for both do-it-yourself construction buffs and those considering working with a contractor to create a more environmentally healthy living space. Recommended. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)