Of particular concern to us were volatile organic compounds, carcinogenic materials, and anything else in the paints, wall coverings, carpetings, floorings, and fixtures that might cause indoor air quality problems or multiple chemical sensitivity. With little or no research available, we turned to the manufacturers, who often told us the information was proprietary and gave us nothing beyond the vague safeguards in the material safety data sheets mandated by law. We did the best we could at the time. We used water-based paints. We tacked down carpet instead of gluing it. We provided thirty
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