Will a house 500 feet from a major highway present any pollution/health issues?
October 7, 2011 by Foot Health
Filed under Foot Health FAQ
Question by Mike E: Will a house 500 feet from a major highway present any pollution/health issues?
I am thinking about building a house 500 feet from a major highway. There are trees and woods between the house and highway. Are there any air quality concerns?
Best answer:
Answer by good guy
at 500 feet, maybe, maybe not (how’s THAT for a wishy washy answer?). Anyway, it would depend on the density of traffic, for starters, so noise may be a problem. The pollution may be mitigated with all the trees, depending on the number of trees and their maturity. Think about access to said highway. I’d go “visit” the proposed building site at several different times of the day, and just sit and LISTEN. Do you hear the traffic? Go at night, do you still hear traffic? Do you smell diesel? Noise “pollution’ can be as bad as air pollution. Don’t go just once or twice to the site, visit three. four, five times–a major decision like yours would be devastating to start and then change your mind about down the road. I am assuming you own the land all the way to the highway, and if you don’t, the trees blocking the highway may be removed, if you don’t own them, by the owner who may want to build. Lots of stuff to think about, take your time making your decision, and good luck.
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My only concern would be particles, not gases. Gases dissipate quickly and with a barrier between you and the highway, you shouldn’t be concerned. As with any closed space, your indoor air gets more polluted by the minute, so you will want to consider installing a high efficiency air cleaner to remove particles and harmful bacteria. Take a look at the Electro Breeze Duct Mount UV kit at http://www.allergy-relief-air-purifier.com/air-conditioning-filters.html. It is 97% efficient down to 0.3 microns and incorporates an ultra-violet lamp to kill mold and viruses. Easy to install and easy to maintain. Doesn’t cost a fortune either. There is a video on this site that shows how to install the unit. I hope this helps.