Underlying Philosophy

The SafeHaven LifeLab™ is a mobile laboratory that is designed to permit IEI/MCS Warriors an opportunity to personally evaluate the materials and systems that would be utilized in their prospective new small home prior to committing to a particular physical design.

Sliding door and airlock mechanisms will be selected with careful attention paid to the nature of the sealing and lubricating materials used in construction and operation.

The Prep Room will be equipped identically to the Exposure Room in terms of “contamination” by utilities—vents, sound speakers, electric outlets, etc.—so that client tolerance of these can be validated separately from the materials samples to be tested in the Exposure Room. The ventilation system maintains the highest relative air pressure in the Prep Room, followed by the Exposure Room, to expel from the client’s presence all airborne contaminants both from outside the structure and from the Storage Room and the Transfer Room.

The client-accessible rooms will be tastefully ambianced with dim-able lighting and relaxing music to allow the client to focus inwardly on how the body responds to the testing environment.

Cleaning Methods

HOCl Detoxification
Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) is generally considered a safe, fragrance-free disinfectant often used by people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) or Idiopathic Environmental Intolerances (IEI) as a safe alternative to harsh cleaning chemicals. However, it is not widely sold commercially because it does not have a long shelf life, and it is inexpensive and easy to create. HOCl is manufactured in the LifeLab™ to ensure a supply of innocuous disinfecting solutions to prevent any unwanted biological contamination of the testing facility.

Cautions: high or improper concentrations of HOCl can cause issues:

• Irritation and Toxicity: While it is a natural part of the human innate immune system, high concentrations of aerosolized HOCl (e.g., 500 ppm) have been shown to cause cytotoxicity and genotoxic effects in human fibroblasts.
• Respiratory/Chemical Sensitivity: While HOCl is a useful, low-allergen alternative, uncontrolled production of HOCl can trigger undesirable effects on human physiology, and reactions to harsh disinfectants (such as other forms of chlorine/oxidizing agents) are known triggers for MCS patients.
• No Specific Link as a Trigger: There is no specific evidence citing HOCl itself as a primary, commonly known trigger for MCS. Instead, it is highlighted as a product used by sufferers because it is, unlike many other chemicals, generally well-tolerated.

In summary: HOCl is generally tolerated well by MCS/IEI patients, but as a reactive oxidant, high or uncontrolled concentrations might cause irritation in sensitive individuals.

Evaluation Packages

The acquisition of a place to live is among the most stressful decision processes that we humans face. When personal life experience has taught us that there is a near-certainty that any selected space will contain something in its construction that will cause us extreme misery, then the process becomes traumatic.

FieldWorks Homes™ offers a variety of Evaluation Package Options to reduce the trauma of acquiring an acceptable living space. Our process aims to reduce the risk of making a bad decision by giving clients a pre-purchase process to answer these critical questions:

“Can I tolerate this (these) material(s)?”
“Will this (these) material(s) render my future home unlivable?”

Price points offer different levels of engagement, ranging from a toe-in-the-water quick scan of one or sets of materials to a deep-dive, multi-day immersion to individually validate materials prior to the home-build. Whatever Tier is selected, fifty cents of every dollar spent on evaluations will serve double-duty as a deposit toward the purchase of a SafeHaven Refuge™ small home (limitations apply).

Basic Testing Protocol:

• 15-minutes acclimation to the shell in the Prep Room
• Move into Exposure Room

Exposure Room contains pre-positioned panel(s) for materials evaluation

Acclimate for 10 minutes; observation for the next 20 minutes

• Discussion, evaluation, and reporting: 15 minutes

The Exposure Room is prepared for the next material (set)

Entry Tier I—Screening Session

One or two exposure cycles to evaluate sets of 1-4 materials in each cycle each.

Price: 1 cycle $250, two cycles $450
Time: 45 or 90 minutes

Includes:

• Exposure to 1-8 materials in one or two sets
• Controlled air environment
• Observation and self-reporting response log

Purpose:

• Low-barrier to entry
• Validate (or fail to validate) tolerance for all materials in each of one or two sets of test samples; adverse reaction to either set requires further investigation to determine the offending material

Core Tier II—Material Testing

Half Day (5 cycles) or Full Day (11 cycles)

Price: Half Day $1,050, Full Day $2,000
Time: 3¾ hours or 8¼ hours

Includes:

• Pre-conditioning of materials (off-gassing control)
• Individual exposure cycles
• Basic report (tolerance notes and recommendations)

Purpose:

• Begin to build a comprehensive Tolerable Materials Portfolio
• Build confidence in the home purchase and construction process

Deep Dive Tier III—Building Validation Package

One to Three full days and nights

Price: One Day $3,000, Two Days $5,500, Three Days $8,000
Time: 10:00 a.m. start and 8:00 a.m. finish

Includes:

• Sequential exposure (walls, flooring, sealants, etc.)
• Environmental variable control (heat, humidity)
• Written “approved materials set” for their build

Purpose:

• Evaluate water, electric, and cooking systems
• Establish a solid Tolerable Materials Portfolio
• Build confidence in the home purchase and construction process with over-night validation

The first SafeHaven LifeLab™ mobile laboratory is expected to be ready to make its way across the US from East to West this summer. We welcome input from prospective clients, and it will be available for limited assessments at its location in Delaware. Send us an email to express your interest and give us your thoughts.