Are mould and toxins in your home making you ill? Expert tips to reduce health risks

When Hong Kong artist Erin Hung bought her “dream home” five years ago – a walk-up with a rooftop surrounded by trees and mountains in the city’s Pok Fu Lam neighbourhood – she did not expect it would affect her health. “In the first year, the mould started kicking in across the whole house,” she recalls. “Sometimes the walls would drip with moisture.” In subtropical Hong Kong, black mould is a chronic health hazard. In the relentless humidity, it takes root on damp plasterboard and concrete, digesting organic material while shedding cellular debris and toxins that trigger asthma, stubborn coughs and chronic allergic reactions. Hung’s own allergies flared up, with symptoms escalating to a chronic cough, runny nose and itchy eyes, but she ruled out standard anti-mould treatments. Most commercial remedies rely on aggressive chemical agents, including biocides and fungicides, to destroy spores. For Hung, swapping organic mould for harsh synthetic chemicals felt like a counterproductive trade-off. “As an artist, it is sometimes unavoidable to use chemicals in my work, so it is important that my home is free of chemicals and close to nature,” she says, referring to the synthetic toxins found in typical house paints. At first, she turned to ventilation and heat treatment, using moisture-absorbing silica gel packets, and heating rods that gently raise the temperature. She put dehumidifiers in each room. “We had to get disciplined about keeping everything ventilated and not letting anything fester,” Hung says. She repainted her home with an anti-mould, non-toxic paint from Eicó, an eco-friendly Hong Kong paint manufacturer set up by Swedish ex-banker Joakim Cimmerbeck. Cimmerbeck was inspired to set up the company to support his wife, who suffers from achalasia – a rare swallowing disorder – and requires a pristine environment to protect her health. He has since “obsessively” maintained a non-toxic home. Along with using non-toxic paint, Cimmerbeck’s family does not buy newly-made furniture “as the glues, foams and composite woods can release chemical contaminants” in a process known as “off-gassing”. These so-called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can cause headaches and respiratory issues, or worse. Dr Stephen Chan, founder of Hong Kong-based functional medicine practice LifeClinic, says many VOCs “like benzene, toluene and styrene are actually made from petroleum by-products”, and that “if we are chronically exposed to them, they are potentially carcinogenic”. A long-standing health concern Humans have known for centuries that unhealthy homes make us ill; historically, public outcry has been the primary catalyst for legislative reform. In the 19th century, sanitary reforms in the UK tackled rampant overcrowding and tuberculosis in poor houses, culminating in the 1848 Public Health Act. Similarly, the United States introduced sweeping housing regulations in the 1970s to ban lead paint and asbestos. Hong Kong followed suit later, phasing out asbestos in public housing by 1984, and enacting a citywide ban on the toxic material in 2014. This century’s indoor “kryptonite” is just as insidious and ubiquitous: synthetic chemical additives. “Why would you want to live with something that gives you and your children slow poisoning and cancer?” asks Henriette von Stockhausen, a German-born, UK-based interior designer who, for the last four years, has completely avoided using new furniture not made of all-natural materials. “I refuse to work with foams and toxins; I say that right at the beginning of every project,” says von Stockhausen, who has done interiors for historic homes in Denmark, France, Switzerland, the UK and the US. She advises buying antique furniture or solid-wood furniture, and avoiding anything made with particleboard and fibreboard. Older upholstered furniture, especially if it contains polyurethane foam, can also be a health hazard, she says, if it has been treated with flame-retardant chemicals. Over time, these chemicals leach out of the ageing foam into household dust, where they are inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin. Some, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), are linked to cancer, hormone disruption, thyroid disease and neurodevelopmental problems. A recent study showed that the levels of toxins in people’s systems were halved when they changed their sofas. Healthier options Hong Kong furniture shop Permanent Resident sells vintage and pre-owned chemical-free furniture, as well as rattan furniture and untreated cotton dhurrie rugs made from natural fibres. Hong Kong brand Tree makes sustainable furniture using reclaimed wood and certified eco-friendly teak and oak, and water-based, low-VOC finishes to protect the timber. For those on a tighter budget, Ikea adheres to legal requirements for formaldehyde and lists all materials on its products’ labels, but like most mass-produced furniture made from pressed wood, its DIY pieces can still emit VOCs. The best way to avoid exposure to VOCs from any new furniture is to keep it well-ventilated for two weeks, and if possible, in the sun, von Stockhausen says. “As for textiles, choose 100 per cent linen or wool,” she suggests, as you may find many items have been chemically sprayed – “even the interior liner or blackout liner in curtains, for example”. US-based interior designer Lisa Sternfeld, whose toddler was struggling to breathe after they moved into a new home in the US state of Connecticut, is also a proponent of using natural materials. Her son was in and out of hospitals with mysterious lung issues until someone suggested she test her home for mould. The results revealed black mould in the basement within the interior wall cavities. Beyond having the home gutted and replaced with non-toxic, anti-mould materials, Sternfeld did a deep dive into all other furnishings and items that could be emitting toxins. These included textiles, paints, cleaning products, plastic kitchen items such as chopping boards and food storage containers, water filters and more. She also replaced much of her furniture with pieces made of all-natural materials. “People think carefully about food, skincare or fitness, yet spend little time considering the material environment they live within every day,” she says. “The market is crowded with greenwashing, inconsistent certifications and material claims that are difficult for consumers to verify without detailed manufacturing information. “Understanding whether a piece is truly low toxicity requires looking at the foams, adhesives, flame retardants, finishes and treatments used long before it reaches a showroom floor.” In 2022, Sternfeld founded WLLW, which stands for Well Life, Lived Well and is pronounced “willow”. The platform is dedicated to “material purity” featuring a shop selling clean home products and crafts such as Peruvian cotton and wool pillows, and flax-grown linen tablecloths from South Africa. “The ultimate status symbol of a home isn’t just what you see, but how its material footprint actively supports your biology and nervous system,” Sternfeld says. “This is the new luxury.” Lisa Sternfeld’s 5 tips to reduce your home’s toxicity 1. Ventilate daily Open your windows for at least 10 to 15 minutes a day, including during colder months. Modern homes trap pollutants, VOCs, moisture and combustion by-products indoors. Fresh air exchange remains one of the simplest ways to reduce that accumulation. 2. Mind your floors, not just your shoes Taking off your shoes at the door is a great start, but your flooring still matters. Wall-to-wall carpets act like sponges, trapping toxic dust and chemical residues that are hard to vacuum away. Natural hard floors – like wood or tile – don’t hold onto toxins and are easy to wipe down. 3. Replace synthetic fragrance products Plug-in diffusers, kerosene candles and many room sprays can introduce unnecessary chemicals into indoor air. Beeswax candles, natural aromatics or fresh air can create an atmosphere without pollutants. 4. Filter your water A high-quality countertop or under-sink filter can significantly reduce chlorine, heavy metals and common contaminants without requiring a whole-house system. It is one of the easiest high-impact changes people can make. 5. Choose natural fibres When replacing bedding, towels, upholstery or rugs, opt for materials such as organic cotton, linen, hemp or wool. Synthetic textiles continuously shed microplastics into household dust and air, which become part of the indoor environment. Like what you read? Follow SCMP Lifestyle on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also sign up for our eNewsletter here.

Are mould and toxins in your home making you ill? Expert tips to reduce health risks

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Mould thrives in humid climates, and certain furniture can introduce particles that can cause coughs and even cancer. Here’s how to stay safe

Mould thrives in humid climates, and certain furniture can introduce particles that can cause coughs and even cancer. Here’s how to stay safe