Health Benefits of Replacement Windows: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

Home replacement windows can have many health benefits, particularly for people with allergies or environmental sensitivities. Today we’re going to take a look at the role home replacement windows can have in the lives of people who have Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS).

People who have MCS, which is also known as environmental illness, report having adverse reactions to a number of substances present in everyday life. Triggering substances can include perfumes, plastics, carpeting, gases, paints, resins, synthetic fabrics, beauty products, household cleaners, bug sprays and weed killers as well as foods, molds, pollens and dust.

This is obviously problematical. How can replacement windows help?
As we discussed earlier, home replacement windows can help maintain an environment in which the homeowner can control the quality of air. Preventing air intrusion from the outdoors — which modern home replacement windows accomplish with double or triple pane glass technology, pockets of insulating, inert gasses, and high quality construction — significantly cuts down on the number of allergens that come into the living area and cause the homeowner distress.

If home replacement windows can exclude these irritants, then it follows that they could do the same for other triggering substances. This could be of marked importance if home replacement windows are installed in place of older, leaky single pane windows. These windows are particularly prone to air intrusion — and when every cold draft carries substances that can make you deathly ill, that’s no small problem.

In fact, experts estimate that up to 40% of a home’s heat can leak out into the outdoors through leaky, inefficient windows. That makes one wonder: if so much energy is going out, what’s coming in?

Sufferers from MCS know all too well. A farmer down the road sprays their field with pesticides or a neighbor paints there house: everyday events that can spell disaster for the individual with environmental sickness.

People who are considering replacement windows to improve the quality of their interior air and strengthen the building envelope should do their research. Because MCS is a highly individualized condition, not everyone reacts to the same substances the same way. Spend some time with sample windows from the manufacturer you’re considering to ensure that there’s nothing in the window construction to trigger symptoms.
Vinyl replacement windows have worked very well for some families where MCS is an issue, and they are often the most affordable option for full window replacement. Fiberglass replacement windows can also work well, as can vinyl-clad wood and aluminum replacement windows. Wood replacement windows which require regular painting and upkeep can be problematic, although some MCS patients have tolerated them well. Knowledge of one’s individual condition and reaction to triggering substances is essential. Close work with one’s physician or medical advisor to create the optimum living environment for oneself is recommended.

Controlling and minimizing exposure to irritating elements can be difficult for MCS sufferers — many triggering substances are to be found almost everywhere you go. However, home replacement windows can play a role in creating at least one space where individuals can breathe the air more comfortably.