DIY is bad for your health – researchers

IT IS the excuse that men who hate DIY have been waiting for: household renovations could be bad for the health.

British researchers have warned that sanding and drilling create “dangerous dust” emissions – including clouds of microscopic particles linked to heart disease and cancer. They called for health and safety regulations to be updated to protect builders and urged amateur enthusiasts to protect themselves.

With face masks not completely effective in filtering out the suspect particles, they recommend wetting walls and other surfaces to trap dust ahead of starting work.

Study author Prashant Kumar said: “Some of the most harmful particles are invisible and we shouldn’t underestimate the effect on our health, and on the health of those around us.”

The warning comes amid a DIY boom. Latest figures show that spending on home improvement reached £5.5 billion last year – the highest level since the recession.

And a report by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors found that families are opting to mend or extend their current homes rather than move. A lack of suitable housing and high stamp duty fees – despite reforms last year to reduce the cost – have made “renovation and extension works more financially appealing than changing home”.

Dr Kumar, an environmental engineer, carried out 20 different building activities and collected and analysed the dust created.

So-called ultrafine particles, up to 70 000 times thinner than a human hair, made up 97 percent of the particles in the dust. Their small size makes them dangerous as it allows them to travel deep into the lungs, where they may trigger cancer. It is also feared that they can worm their way into the bloodstream, contributing to a hardening of the arteries.

DIY increases the number of ultrafine particles in the air by up to 4 000 times, the study found.

Traditionally, concerns about building dust focused on visible particles that fuel breathing problems such as asthma. – Daily Mail