more than 50% of homeowners consider it their most important concern Let's talk about your home's environment. It's obvious you care about your family's health or you would not be reading this. Inside your home, the air is said to be 10 times dirtier than the air outdoors. Why? Simple. We in Hawaii live in homes constructed under energy requirements set by the state. Homebuilders are required to erect under what is called "tight construction". Tight construction means there can be no air leakage in caulking between wood floors, window frames, doors, pipes, etc. Even with new, tight dual pane windows there is zero air infiltration. In short, a tightly sealed home means that no air can escape, thus it becomes trapped in. So how does this affect you and your family's health? Simple - the building products used today are releasing what the industry calls V.O.C.'s (Volatile Organic Compounds). A research study funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) and conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, with support of the U.S. Department of Energy, shows that many building materials used in the construction of new homes emit V.O.C.'s. Formaldehyde in plywood, engineered wood products such as flooring and cabinetry, latex paints, and sheet vinyl flooring have all been identified as major sources for these toxins. The study showed that the effect of these toxins was damaging to the air-conditioning coils installed in the home (usually located in the attic). "Formicary corrosion" on these coils was directly attributable to these chemicals, so can you imagine what this could be doing to your family's health? In addition to building materials, furniture, cleaning solvents, hair sprays, perfumes and other man-made products also contain V.O.C.'s. When these chemicals are released (or "outgassed") into your home's tightly sealed indoor environment, there is no place for them to escape, and they remain trapped inside - affecting you and your family in a harmful way. This is why effective indoor air quality products, manufactured during the past decade and addressing filtration, purification and ventilation, are available to alleviate these health concerns. Central Air Systems believes it is vital to inform homeowners about the importance of installing these products in their homes. Isn't a healthy home a happy home for your family?