AIR QUALITY: Seal off attached garage to prevent leaks A CLOSER
LOOK: Keep benzene at bay 0 Pollutants such as exhaust or fumes
from paints, pesticides and machinery can leak into the house
from an attached garage though the ceiling hatch, the door or
gaps in the wall panelling. (File photo) Some indoor air-quality
problems may begin in the most unlikely places, such as an
attached garage. If your attached garage isn’t used to store
your vehicle and there aren’t any other major chemical sources
in that space, then the quality of garage-to-house air movement
should not be a significant problem. But if you normally start
your car, even with the garage door wide open, or drive it into
the garage, turn off the engine and then close the garage door,
emissions of various chemicals and fluids from the engine can
linger for hours. Both of the above activities can produce
elevated concentrations of combustion pollutants that can find
their way into your home. This is not just a theory — a Health
Canada study involving