Is your home making you sick?

By Anastasia Mills Healy

Artwork by Eliyahu Greenwald

What you can’t see in your house might surprise you, and it could be making you sick. Symptoms ranging from headaches, nausea and fatigue to congestion, brain fog and itchy eyes, throat and/or skin could all be signs that your home is making you sick. If your symptoms seem to get worse the longer you’re inside your home and better after you leave, odds are your body is reacting to something inside—a pathogen, toxic chemical, mold, etc.—and that reaction is making you feel ill. And, believe it or not, there’s actually a name for this condition: Sick Building Syndrome, or in this case, Sick Home Syndrome (SHS).

While this condition is more often studied in a commercial context, much of the findings and guidance are applicable to homes. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) differentiates the terms “Sick Building Syndrome” (SBS) and “Building Related Illness” (BRI). The former is used if people are ill inside a building but no specific cause or illness can be detected, while the latter describes the ability to directly trace a diagnosed illness to a building. But for the purposes of this article, we’ll use the blanket term Sick Home Syndrome (SHS) since we’re referring to homes that make their occupants sick.

Let’s talk about mold

Airborne contaminants like mold are a common cause of SHS, as reported by IQAir, a platform that monitors real-time air quality. Jessica Watts, a Pound Ridge-based NAR Green Realtor with Rand Realty, says one of her friends was acutely ill, experiencing headaches, fatigue and dizziness for some time and they couldn’t pinpoint the cause. “Eventually, they found mold in the mechanical room, where there had apparently been a leak for quite some time.”

Water can come from leaking or burst pipes as well as basement flooding, causing mold to grow. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, over the past 15 years, flooding risks have increased due to heat waves caused by climate change drying out the soil, making it harder for water to be absorbed during rainfall. “We have exponentially more water now in the Northeast than in the past,” Watts notes. “Northern Westchester has dense claylike soil, which causes water to pool and the soil to become waterlogged—the perfect conditions for flooding.” She suggests making changes like extending gutters and changing home air filters regularly. “We don’t think of our homes as whole house systems, but they are,” Watts notes. “This means if you have mold somewhere and you have an HVAC system, you are spreading that mold throughout your entire house.”

Watts also says that homeowners who skip necessary steps during a home repair or upgrade may unknowingly create a situation that leads to mold. In fact, it recently happened to another friend of hers. “They had a leaky roof, but they didn’t realize it,” she explains. “Meanwhile, they wanted to improve their energy efficiency, so they hired someone to spray foam their attic. The foam was sprayed over that roof leak, trapping moisture and creating conditions for mold to grow. In their haste to improve their home, they actually did further damage by covering something that was not fixed.” This couple was forced to rip out their new insulation to fix the leak and remove the mold. To prevent such an incident from happening to you, Watts recommends fully vetting contractors, looking for someone who carefully considers your whole house system before conducting any work.

Cesar Godoy, project manager at Westfair Restoration Services, who inspects homes for possible contaminants and remediates any issues, says you’re “not as likely to see mold in new homes,” but that doesn’t mean the chances are zero. Regardless of your home’s age or most recent renovation, mold can occur. He’s even seen new pipes weakened by poor soldering or mice scratching, leading to leaks or bursts and the development of mold.

Surprise! The air itself might be the problem

Keeping your home tight as a ship is good for your heating and cooling bills but not so good for ventilation. “Older homes were designed to self-dry,” Watts explains. “Now, we have all of these things to keep our house warm and dry, like insulation, but that can create new problems.” She says research has shown that inadequate ventilation results in low indoor air quality (IAQ)—a large contributing factor for SHS.

But low IAQ isn’t only caused by poor ventilation; biological contaminants like mold and bacteria can also create indoor air pollution, as can external sources like polluted outdoor air that’s circulated inside. Smoking is also an obvious cause of indoor air pollution. In addition, some people are sensitive to chemicals all around us, especially volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by items like paint, carpets, cleaning solutions, building materials and pesticides.

The American Lung Association suggests minimizing exposure to VOCs and using air-activated carbon filters when exposed to them. Making informed decisions is key when navigating this. Watts says that opening windows when painting is one way to reduce VOCs. However, this won’t be effective in every case. For example, Scotchgard contains VOCs. Watts advises you carefully consider what furniture you use it on, because even if you open a window before spraying inside, once you close the window, the fumes will circulate indoors. So if you must use a product like Scotchgard, using it on outdoor furniture cushions is the smarter way to go. Indoors, there are other options, like removable furniture covers, which Watts uses in her home and washes frequently, thanks to three large dogs and a small child.

Another class of chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) can also be toxic to humans. Found in items like water-resistant fabrics, stain-resistant carpet and non-stick cookware, these “forever chemicals” can enter our bodies through air and water. Watts notes that since elevated levels of PFAS have been found in the water in Pound Ridge, the town has provided resources to educate residents about these compounds. We recommend that you check your town’s website regularly, regardless of where you live, for local PFAS news and updates; you can also read our article “Drowning in Plastic” in the May/June 2025 issue or on our website for more information about PFAS.

More ways your house can mess with you

Godoy at Westfair says there are several other causes of SHS. These include:

• Insufficient airflow, which means heat cannot be regulated evenly, leading to temperature fluctuations.
• Insufficient natural light or excessive exposure to artificial lighting can lead to the persistence of moisture in dark environments, creating “conditions that are favorable for microbial growth.”
• Chemicals in your home that are not properly stored can become airborne, causing you to inhale toxic fumes.
• Newly sealed hardwood flooring that gets wet can release hazardous gases.
• The presence of insects and rodents; the waste they leave behind can cause respiratory distress.
• Using pesticides or rodenticides. These are biologically designed to harm living organisms, which means they can be toxic to us, too.

But even if you do everything right, there are still some causes of SHS that are outside of your control (and, quite frankly, a bit bizarre). The most unusual? Trash stuck in your walls, acting as a petri dish. Godoy says that when he has investigated older homes for contaminants, he’s found items like a bag of chips, a chocolate bar wrapper and even a glass bottle inside the walls and in the ceilings, likely left behind by careless contractors. As these items decompose, they can cause microbial growth and moisture. And they can also attract rodents and insects.

By now, you might be wondering about radon and asbestos. Where do they fit into this discussion? There is no question that these compounds have negative health effects. But because the illnesses they cause often show up years after exposure, the EPA does not consider these substances as causes of SHS. However, a thorough home investigation (more on that later) should include testing for them.

Solving the mystery & healing what ails you

How do you know if your home is making you sick? Seeing a doctor and getting tested for various conditions is one way. Another indication is if your symptoms resolve shortly after you leave your home. But sometimes, they can take longer to develop and dissipate.

Godoy, who is exposed to mold and other toxins as part of his job, says he experiences SHS the day after working at a contaminated home. “I wake up congested and sluggish, with a headache.” His symptoms have lasted two days after only a brief exposure. So if you’re living in a contaminated house, it’s likely you’ll develop much worse and more prolonged symptoms.

Possible SHS symptoms

• Chest tightness
• Cough or wheezing
• Difficulty concentrating
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Dry and itchy skin
• Dry and sore eyes
• Dry and sore throat
• Headaches
• Malaise
• Muscle and joint pain
• Nausea
• Physical and mental fatigue
• Runny or congested nose
• Sensitivity to odors
• Shortness of breath
• Skin rashes

Source: Verywell Health

To eradicate the physical symptoms of SHS, you must identify and eliminate the toxin. While that is in progress, increase your home’s ventilation and decrease the time you’re spending in the toxic environment. Depending on how ill you are, you might want to consider staying elsewhere until the source has been removed.

But let’s back up for a second. How do you identify the toxin? You hire a professional, like Godoy, who is experienced in visual inspections and says he has a nose that’s well trained to detect mold. These inspectors come armed with diagnostic tools, like a moisture reader, and consider various factors, including the age of your home and how long and how often it has been saturated. If they suspect mold, they’ll send samples to a hygiene company to confirm.

If microbial growth is found, the testing will identify the strain and confirm the level, Godoy explains. Then the hygienist will create a specific protocol for the remediation company to follow. Once complete, the home should be tested again to confirm all mold was removed. If not, the remediation protocol must be repeated until the house is clear. “It is important to use a third-party hygienist to avoid biased clearance reports after the remediation company completes work,” he notes. For prevention, Godoy suggests you maintain clean and well-ventilated areas, regularly check for leaks and always perform routine property maintenance.

Keep your house from turning against you

Some mold problems can be avoided. For example, before you leave your home in the winter, Godoy recommends walking through each room with a checklist. Are the windows and doors tightly closed? Is every thermostat set to 68 degrees? And, every two days, walk through your home to look for problems like a burst pipe. (Yes, this includes the basement and attic.)

If a pipe does burst, Godoy says time is of the essence. “Don’t take longer than two days,” he cautions. The first thing you should do is call your insurance company, then a plumber who can address the issue. Next, speak to a mitigation agency to assess damages, then develop and carry out a plan. Documentation is critical, in both photo and video form. “Sometimes pictures don’t tell the full story,” Godoy explains. “For example, if water is rising up through a carpet, you’ll see it better in a video of you walking on the carpet.”

A word to the wise: if you’re tempted to wait for professionals to remove standing water, don’t. Godoy says he’s seen homes get “gutted down to the beams and rebuilt” because water was standing for too long, warping floors, producing insidious mold and breeding insects.

And don’t assume the damage is confined to what’s visible. “Water has a mind of its own,” Godoy explains. “It travels in the weirdest ways.” A pipe could burst on one floor, and the water could seep through to the ceiling of another, while mold begins to grow in the walls of a different one entirely.

According to Consumer Reports, several ways to reduce indoor air pollution include:

• Change your air filters every 30-90 days if you have forced-air heating and cooling systems.
• Vacuum frequently.
• Implement a shoes-off policy so pollutants don’t travel throughout your home, and place a doormat outside your door (so everyone can wipe off pollutants outside).
• Regularly bathe pets and wash their bedding.
• Use your exhaust fans—a range hood in the kitchen will remove cooking fumes, and fans in the bathroom will remove steam.

This is not the time to “probably fine” it

Watts has advice for homebuyers. She says a good home inspector will detect potential issues that could cause catastrophe down the line. “An inspection shouldn’t take an hour,” she says. “That’s not a good inspection. Generally, a thorough inspection is at least two hours.” However, due to high competition in the real estate market, she says a lot of buyers will waive their right to an inspection to secure their offer. “There’s a lot of risk in forgoing an inspection,” she warns.

And one final piece of advice: If you find yourself in a home you suspect might be making you sick, know that other people living there might not be affected, or they might present with different symptoms. Don’t let their lack of symptoms talk you out of your concerns. “Some people are way more sensitive than others,” Watts explains, contrasting SHS with carbon monoxide poisoning, which affects everyone. “Don’t think you’re going crazy. Get out of your own head and listen to that voice.

This article was edited by Rinn Kress and fact-checked by Isabella Aranda Garcia. The artist used Blender to create and render his characters, whom he affectionately named Ger-Man, Airborne Pollutant Man and Mold Man.

This article was published in the March/April 2026 edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.