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Is your home free from air pollution?

On days when you would see smoke belching vehicles on the streets you’d probably say to yourself  “I should’ve stayed home”. But is the air in your home safer than the air outside? Maybe not cause’ the air in your home can sometimes be more polluted than the air outside.

 

Indoor air pollution is among the top four environmental health risks. (Others are atmospheric air pollution, toxic chemicals in the workplace and contaminated drinking water.) So if you’re a homebody person and spends 90% of your time indoors then it is suggested you must assess the air quality in your home. This is more important for the elderly and for people who have heart and respiratory diseases.

 

There are two worst offenders of indoor air pollution, tobacco smoking and radon. Smoking as we all know is a bad habit. It causes lung cancer. Even if you don’t smoke but lives with someone who does, you are still at risk of having lung cancer. So don’t smoke, but if you must try to do it outside. You can use air-filtering devices but they remove mainly the smoke's solid particles and no the gases. So it is much  better just to quit the habit. Radon on the other hand is much complicated indoor air pollution. It is a naturally occuring gas that comes from radioactive decay of uranium that comes from rocks and soil. We can’t see, taste or smell it. Yet it can seep to our home through basement cracks, sewer openings and joints between walls and floors. Radon breaks down into other radioactive elements that clings to airborne particles such as dust and smoke. When you breathe dust and smoke, radon by-products can harm delicate lungs and after chronic exposure may lead to lung cancer. 

To asses your home's radon level you can buy a radon detector at hardware stores. The most common type is a charcoal radon monitor. To use it, there are instructions in the package and if you find that your home contains unhealthful level of radon, you can call the proper government agency preferably agencies handling the  environment concerns for help in handling the problem.
   

There are still others that might cause’ indoor air pollution that we commonly use and see inside our homes such as gases from burning fuels like kerosene and burning firewood. Always make sure to have your gas appliances checked regularly. Never use charcoal barbecues indoors. There are also home chemicals we use for cleaning. Following instructions how to use these products can prevent indoor air pollution because some cleansers when mixed together can release toxic fumes. The most common is dust and moisture. Well, they are not technically  pollutants yet along with mold they can cause severe allergies.

 

The best way to filter your air in your homes is to invite the outside in. Open the windows whenever weather permits. Improving ventilation and airflow is basic to air quality. And simplest thing to do is making it a habit to clean our homes everyday.

By: yourstrulyisabel
Published: 07/26/08


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9 Posted Comments:

@ 3:46 pm 07/26/08 by Nax05
I am worried about the air in my home every now and then. I'll get paranoid if I can't breathe well or something, fearing that there's some unknown toxin in my home. Usually, I have windows open anyways.
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indoor air pollution

@ 3:22 am 07/28/08 by yourstrulyisabel
Yes, make it a point to open windows. That would help circulate air inside your home.
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indoor air pollution

@ 3:23 am 07/28/08 by yourstrulyisabel
Yes, make it a point to open windows if the weather permits. That would help circulate air inside your home.
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@ 12:00 pm 08/21/08 by Willow Sidhe
Air filters do help to cleanse the air of some toxins and bacteria. If you use one make sure it has a HEPA filter. But again, the best idea is to keep the outside air flowing. Great article on an often overlooked topic!
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@ 6:55 pm 08/27/08 by R. Elizabeth C. Kitchen
I do try to keep the upstairs windows open and when the weather is cold I just crack them a bit.
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@ 2:11 pm 08/29/08 by MaryLynn321
An excellent article. Normally weather in Wisconsin doesn't always allow us to have the windows open (to much humidity in the summer, to hot or to cold in the winter) But, this year has been exceptional. I have had the windows open most of the summer. I can definitely tell the difference.

Thank you so much for this information.
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@ 9:48 pm 09/11/08 by agihcam
right now we have less pollution because the location of our house is a little bit far from the high way unlike before. And also, when I smoke, I do it outside the house.
In the morning, our rooms window is always open to circulate the air.
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@ 11:56 pm 09/13/08 by C.D. Crowder
Great article. It's amazing how adding filters to your home can drastically reduce the pollution in your home. I was amazed when I saw the air filters after we first installed them, they were filthy. And here I thought the air was fine.
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"Invite The OutSide In"

@ 10:34 am 09/26/08 by Jannie Borg Larsen
Good article! We will soon get our indoor air quality measured. It will be interesting to receive the results... But, I think that our ventilation is good and there should not be any other problems. We also follow what you advised in your article, namely keeping it a habit to "invite the outside in," by airing daily.
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