You are training to be an Air Pollution Control Specialist for a company called Dust Busters. Your first assignment is to help research and solve the case below.
The Torres Family moved into their brand new dream home several months ago. It had everything they wanted—a fully carpeted bedroom for each of their three children, a basement office for Mrs. Torres' home-based business, a master bathroom with Jacuzzi and steam room, and a carpeted play room where the family could hang out with their pets (a dog and two cats). Mr. Torres liked to boast about the home's airtight construction. It even smelled new.
But shortly after they moved in, things started to go wrong. First their state-of-the-art air conditioning system failed, leaving them to suffer through an unbearably hot and humid August. A summer downpour flooded their basement. To top it off, their higher-than-expected living expenses meant that they could no longer afford the weekly housecleaner who kept their previous home spotless.
Since Mrs. Torres spent more time than the other family members in the new house, she felt the most amount of stress from these problems. In fact she started feeling ill as soon as they moved in and blamed her symptoms on the house. It all started with watery eyes and a sore throat. She felt tired and achy all of the time and sometimes had difficulty breathing. To help ease her pains and worries, she liked to take a steam bath every night before bed. She usually fell asleep the minute her wet head hit the pillow.
When several other family members started feeling ill, the family knew they needed help. Mrs. Torres contacted the air pollution control specialists at Dust Busters to diagnose and fix what she referred to as the "sick house." After an initial analysis of their home, the experts identified several possible indoor air-pollution sources. Top on their list were:
You and a few other Dust Buster trainees have been assigned one of these four suspected pollution sources to research. Work together to find out as much as you can about the suspected pollutant and whether or not it might be causing Mrs. Torres and the other family members to get sick. Then as a group, outline your action plan to clean up and prevent the problem. Be prepared to present your action plan to the class.
Pollution Source:
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Research notes about pollutant:
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Clues/symptoms that support the presence of this pollutant:
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Dust Buster Action Plan:
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From Enviromysteries Breaking the Mold, mpt.org/breakingthemold/
copyright 2002 all rights reserved.