On top of all this my mother died from cancer less than 2 weeks ago and it has helped put things in perspective for me.

Mainly the heart, liver (the most well known), pancreas, the brain, and has been shown to contribute to certain cancers as well as immunological problems.

Ahh ... the poor maligned shibboleth, "hacker".

You wouldn't go to a podiatrist for a cancer diagnosis and you wouldn't go to a DUI lawyer to get a divorce.CPAs have specialties and a base of knowledge.  

I'm renting one side of a duplex and the other side is occupied by a very nice man, who's now dying of cancer.

Also, that far out the times may change and quartz might be found to cause cancer for all we know or 1980s wall paneling might come back in vogue.I would suggest to go with things that will stand up for a good amount of time (the quartz) and such.

It seems ironic for a doctor to tell you to smoke something to help with your cancer.

(We are retired now due to his cancer).

Additionally, we're smart and frugal, we keep a tight budget and plan ahead, we have 6 months of dog food saved, own our cars outright, and carry no debt. and our dogs get exceptional vet care, just last year we successfully treated one of our dogs spinal cancer for $10k.  

Additionally lot's of particle board was laced with formaldehyde which is a caustic chemical.Formica counter tops are known to have been laced with formaldehyde as well.Acoustical and popcorn ceilings in that circa were known to have asbestos in it which is a highly carcinogenic chemical and can be very detrimental to ones health.Above ceiling and wall insulation was also know to have asbestos in it.A lot of plumbing in those days was made from "Quest" Poly Butylene which proved to be catastrophic and ended up costing Shell Oil huge losses in a class action lawsuit in order to cover court ordered replacement on hundreds of thousands of mobile homes.Finally, once you start going down that road it will be like feeding a cancer that just keeps manifesting itself.