“Green” may be the popular buzzword lately among builders and buyers of new construction homes.

But the color Tom Molidor is more concerned about is red—as in “red alert: is the air quality in your new energy efficient home bad enough to make you sick?”

That is the very question Molidor, president of Clarendon Hills-based Molidor Custom Builders, poses to his customers, especially those who are eager to break ground on a green home.

Because, while that earth-friendly new abode will boast tighter seals to improve energy efficiency, that airtight envelope will likely prevent more than cool and hot air from escaping during the warm and cooler months, respectively; it can also prevent the escape of toxic gases like volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are often emitted from many new construction products and materials in concentrations that can be up to 10 times higher indoors than outdoors.

If you don’t think stale, trapped indoor air is anything to be worried about, consider this: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists poor indoor air quality as the fourth largest environmental threat to our country, and the agency found that levels for a dozen common organic pollutants were two to five times higher inside homes than outside.

 “Because today’s new construction residences—particularly green homes—are so well caulked, fitted and insulated, they can trap and recycle toxins in our indoor air, preventing homeowners from having good indoor air quality,” said Molidor. “And new homes that don’t ‘breathe’ well with proper ventilation can have adverse health effects on their occupants, chiefly those with respiratory conditions like asthma and allergies, which one in four Americans now suffer from.”

The solution, said Molidor, is to build a “healthy home,” one that allows for proper air exchange between the indoors and outdoors and which incorporates special construction practices as well as products and materials that emit fewer or no toxins.

Molidor offers optional healthy home amenities in every home he builds and has carved an impressive niche in this specialty construction field since he created one of Chicagoland’s first-ever healthy homes in Western Springs back in 1994.

“I’ve learned to be extra conscious and appreciative of customers’ sensitivities to allergens and other reactive agents over the years,” said Molidor. “Normally, when you walk into a newly built home, you breathe in the air and are aware of that ‘new home smell.’ While some people find it a pleasant aroma, others are highly sensitive to the VOCs and other elements in the air and quickly have a negative reaction—whether it be headaches, nausea, watery eyes, respiratory difficulty, you name it.”

In fact, Molidor’s wife developed such a sensitivity after they were married. Shortly after Molidor personally built their new home several years back, he had to replace many of the products—including the cabinetry—after his spouse suffered a serious reaction to them.

Poor indoor air quality, Molidor added, also can result from the opposite of an airtight building envelope: excessive air leaks in a newly built structure caused by shoddy workmanship or inferior products.

These air leaks can allow common pollutants from the outside to enter the home and result in structural rot via excess moisture within the attic and walls and around window framing.

Perhaps the two greatest indoor air quality-related threats facing homeowners are radon gas and VOCs.

Radon, which typically seeps up from the ground and accumulates in confined areas of the home like the basement, is a cancer-causing natural radioactive gas that you can’t see, smell or taste. It’s the second leading cause of lung cancer in America and claims about 20,000 lives annually. VOCs commonly arise from paints and lacquers, glues and adhesives, and other building materials.

To prevent exposure to these and other agents and maintain wholesome interior air levels, Molidor employs a variety of practices, products and technologies when crafting a healthy home.

These include careful selection and installation of building materials and systems—among them heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC), moisture control, and combustion-venting systems.

“Inefficiently designed and incorrectly installed HVAC systems can lead to comfort and air quality problems,” he said. “So we’re careful to implement properly engineered furnaces and ducts that don’t leak combustion gases inside the home, filtration devices, and whole-house and spot ventilation appliances to reduces and eliminate indoor pollutants.”

For example, Molidor often recommends the installation of an energy recovery ventilator (ERV), which decreases the expense of heating ventilated air in the winter by transferring heat from the warm inside air being exhausted to the fresh, cold supply air.

During warmer months, the inside air cools the warmer supply air to minimize cooling costs.

Additionally, with an ERV the home’s air humidity remains more constant and comfortable. If the home features an attached garage, Molidor encourages the homeowner to have a high-powered exhaust fan installed in the garage, connected to a manually set timer, to dissipate any carbon monoxide fumes.

“In many healthy homes, we also advise clients to have us install a HEPA filter with an ultraviolet light, which kills particulates in the air,” he said.

Moisture problems can produce mold and other biological pollutants that can compromise residents’ health. To curb mold, Molidor and his team use a variety of moisture control features, such as improved roof, wall, and foundation drainage.

Preventing outgassing—the slow release of a trapped or absorbed gas—from a material is another area where Molidor shines. During construction, Molidor incorporates traditional plywood instead of pressboard siding or oriented strand board, both of which contain large amounts of formaldehyde gas that can pollute the air.

He only applies paints with low or no VOCs, the color choices of which have expanded greatly and the prices for which have come down substantially in recent years. Water-based products as opposed to smelly oil-based polyurethanes are his floor sealants of choice.

And he strongly encourages his customers to select solid wood cabinets with no formaldehydes in the wood or finishes. In addition to using materials with decreased chemical contents, Molidor also makes sure the materials stored on the construction site are protected from weather damage and future mold.

“We’re preparing to begin construction soon on a custom home for a client who has extreme sensitivities to VOCs and other indoor air pollutants,” said Molidor. “They sought me out because of my reputation as a builder of healthy homes.”

Everything about the client’s forthcoming residence “will be as non-toxic as possible, from the woodwork and carpeting to the paint. In fact, the finished home will have to pass their ‘sniff’ test to pass muster, which I’m more than confident it will,” he said.

Molidor Custom Builders will build a new residence—including a healthy home—on any chosen lot throughout the city or suburbs. Its architects on staff can create a completely unique design from scratch, or the firm can build to suit any outside floorplan you present.

For those interested in modernizing their existing home, Molidor Custom Builders is also a full-service remodeling firm. For more information, call (630) 789-1500 or visit http://www.molidorbldr.com/.