House Dust (Integrated Chemical Exposure Biomarker) — household safety profile
Moderate riskSettled house dust is an integrated biomarker of indoor chemical exposure — it accumulates PBDE flame retardants (from furniture foam), phthalate plasticizers (from vinyl flooring, electronics), lead (from paint, soil track-in), pesticide residues, per/polyfluorinated substances (PFAS), and microplastics.
What is this product?
Settled house dust is an integrated biomarker of indoor chemical exposure — it accumulates PBDE flame retardants (from furniture foam), phthalate plasticizers (from vinyl flooring, electronics), lead (from paint, soil track-in), pesticide residues, per/polyfluorinated substances (PFAS), and microplastics. Children ingest 50-100 mg of dust daily through hand-to-mouth behavior. House dust composition reflects all products and materials in the home — making it a whole-home chemical exposure indicator.
What's in it
Click any compound name for its full safety profile, regulatory consensus, and exposure data.
Who's most at risk
- Children — Developing endocrine and neurological systems, higher exposure per body weight
- Infants — Developing organ systems, higher exposure per body weight, immature detoxification systems
Red flags — when to walk away
- Visible mold, persistent chemical odor, or symptoms when home — Indoor air quality issue requiring investigation.
Green flags — what to look for
- GREENGUARD Gold, CRI Green Label Plus, or equivalent IAQ certification — Product tested for low chemical emissions.
Safer alternatives
- HEPA vacuum — captures fine particles standard vacuums exhaust
- Wet mopping — prevents dust resuspension during cleaning
- Shoes-off policy at door — 60%+ reduction in tracked-in contaminants
Frequently asked questions
Who should be careful with House Dust (Integrated Chemical Exposure Biomarker)?
Vulnerable populations identified for this product type: children, infants.
Are there safer alternatives to House Dust (Integrated Chemical Exposure Biomarker)?
Yes — consider: HEPA vacuum; Wet mopping; Shoes-off policy at door. See the Safer alternatives section above for details.
Look up House Dust (Integrated Chemical Exposure Biomarker) in the home app
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Open in home View raw API dataReference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific information. Why we built ALETHEIA →