Motomi Takahashi Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer Many of the nation' houses constructed or remodeled over the past decades are believed to contain health-endangering chemicals. Some doctors say the alarming increase in allergy sufferers, the so-called sick house syndrome. More than 10 years after the World Health Organization defined sick house symptoms, the nation has at last begun to implement preventive measures. The long delay has been blamed on social and structural problems involving doctors, construction companies, the government and consumers. Many Japanese houses and buildings are belived to be contaminated by chemcals.
Home is supposed to be the place where one feels most relaxed.
But these days, this may no longer be true. In fact, for a growing number of people, just staying at home can unwittingly damage their health. One such person is Akiyo Kishi from Ome in Tokyo. Formaldehyde is believed to contain allergic and carcinogenic substances. The insecticides and plasticizers contained in vinyl chloride in many cases contain organophosphorus compounds that attack the nervous system.