Can a house cause severe sickness?

[Dave Newell]

A good friend grew up in a small semi detached council house of late fourties vintage with a seriously sick mother (cancer) who eventually succumbed to it. My friend's father bought the house while his wife was still alive and after she had passed on sold it to his eldest son.

 

eldest son got married and had children who all grew up in that house, then his wife got sick with a brain tumour and had to have several operations rendering her severely disabled. when she could no longer cope with stairs he sold the house to his cousin and bought a bungalow.

 

The cousin, who now lives in the house and has done for several years has just had a tumour removed from the bottom of his brain (they went in through the roof of his mouth :-( ) and so far is doing well but his wife also has lymphoma and has today been told she has a life expectancy of just four years, if she's lucky!

 

So could it be something to do with the property or is it just really, really, really bad luck?

 

I know one thing, it makes me very thankful that all of my family are fit and well!

D.

[Guest JudgeMental]

sick house syndrome*-)

 

More common in America where dodgy substances used in boards and frames and insulation of the homes can cause problems...even motor homes can suffer from this?

 

Also, Radon (natural radiation) seeps out of the ground and can get trapped in certain houses and cause serious health issues

[Guest pelmetman]

Is the house close to pylons or has it been built on an old landfill?

 

There are known clusters of cancers when people are in close vacinity to pylons.

 

Also if the house was built on an old landfill certain gases can leak out into the atmosphere and can cause illnesses.

 

Sue

 

 

[Dave Newell]

Yes I have heard of both of these but just one house in a street of about fifty affected?

 

D.

 

In edit: not built on landfill as far as I know and it is the only house in the street with such a record AFAIK. I don't believe pylons have anything to do with any illnesses.

[Guest pelmetman]

Maybe the link as they are related is not the house but inherited through their genes (?)

[Dave Newell]

pelmetman - 2010-12-14 6:57 PM

 

Maybe the link as they are related is not the house but inherited through their genes (?)

 

Present owners wife is only related by marriage so I don't think that counts.

 

D.

[Big Momma]

If it is simply a case of sheer bad luck then I think your family have just about had their share :'(

[malc d]

Radon seems the most likely cause, although as you say one in fifty houses would seem to rule that out.

There used to be a ' radon map' available (online ?) to check where you live.

 

I think it is possible to get your house tested as the gas is undetectable by taste or smell.

 

 

 

 

 

[Dave Newell]

Its not my family and its not my house but thanks for the thoughts ;-)

 

I'll google the radon map Syd and see if anything shows up. I have heard about Radon gas but not sure if various Cancers are part of its remit.

 

D.

[spospe]

Dave

 

Take a look at:

 

http://www.ukradon.org/article.php?key=indicativemap

 

and

 

http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/Radiation/UnderstandingRadiation/UnderstandingRadiationTopics/Radon/radon_Map/

 

Michael

[Dave Newell]

Everything I've looked at regarding Radon suggests it can increase the risk of lung cancer. none of the occupants who have become sick have or had lung cancer despite several of them being smokers. Also according to the Radon maps I've looked at it would appear the house is not in a high risk area so I'm not convinced it is Radon.

 

Maybe they have just been incredibly unlucky, I don't know if any other members of the family who never lived there have developed any cancer problems.

 

D.

[Corky 8]

Hi Dave,

           I noticed you dismissed out of hand any connection between Power lines (Pylons) and Illness / Cancer,

I worked at a power station in the Northwest, until I was retired on ill health (Cancer ) I was one of the fittest men you could ever meet, never a day off work with any illness in my working life until I worked for some years at the Power Station, part of my indoctrination into the working life on the Station I was told by one of the leading Engineer,s "Everything we produce does not go down the power lines "  in other words electricity was irradiated from the generators etc, also no Mess rooms were built under any of the out going transmission line on the station, and the amount of cancer cases within the control room where the Transmission lines pass either side of was higher that most other industries, "coincidence Maybe"  The Russian,s do not ALLOW any residential building to be built under any Power lines , they have done that since back in the 60,s,  I,m a firm believer that power lines do carry a high risk of abnormalities in Humans, that to applies to high voltage Transformer and sub stations, No scientific data to back this up though just work related experience ,  when I was serving my time there was no connection between handling oils ,grease, and fuels being deemed as Carcinogenic , what now ? 

[Dave Newell]

Thanks Corky but in this case there are no high voltage power lines or pylons anywhere near the house.

 

D.

[BGD]

It's a very common thing Dave - it's called Error Of Association.

 

Two things happen, and people naturally (but incorrectly) create a causal association between them: A must have caused B.

 

 

As other reasons for people dying are gradually reduced (by advances in science, diet, reductions in heavy and dangerous occupations), so more people succumb to cancer.........'cos we're all gonna die of summat.

Additionally, cancer is more easily identified as the cause of illness/death nowadays, so appears more often on Death Certificates.

 

Thus cancer becomes a more prevalent "cause of death".

Thus there is an increasing likelihood that any house will have more occupants who are recorded as dying from one of the myriad types of cancer rather than from (say) leprosy or TB.....but that is an effect of statistical probability/scientific advance/social change/education, NOT of geographic location or construction materials of the house itself.

 

 

 

Peeps: beware of drawing an Error Of Association causal link between two isolated and independent events......

 

 

[Dave Newell]

Thank you Bruce, you could well be correct. I still aint never gonna move into that house though :-D .

 

D.

[t5tripper]

Hello all, very interesting debate going on here. I believe things around you can increase your chance of having cancer.

 

I feel so sorry and so sad - this is a horrible story. I have a friend going through chemo at the moment and my goodness is she sick - I would not wish it on my worst enemy.

 

:-(

[flicka]

Dave

There are many cases of Sick Building Syndrome, the majority of which are not easily identified.

Have a looka @:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sick_building_syndrome

 

or goggle "Sick Building Syndrome", it does not just apply to Commercial or Industrial Buildings.

[602]

Hi,

 

On topic, but unrelated to discussion so far ......

 

During my allergy test (hayfever) it was found that I am allergic to dry rot. A colleague at work told me that she becomes ill everytime she goes nto a church. Connected? Or is she the Spawn of the Devil?

 

Chemicals used to get rid of dry-rot, rising damp, etc? Paint? Lead water pipes? Contaminated water supply?

 

602