Is Your Home Hazardous To Your Health? How Indoor Air Pollution
May Trigger Illness
We tend to think of our homes as our havens--safe places to go
in order to retreat from the assault of modern life. For the
most part this is true. But there is a hidden danger lurking in
the seemingly tranquil and protective confines of our houses,
and it's something we ought to sit up and notice. That hidden
danger is the quality of indoor air.
The act of breathing is so natural we don't even realize we're
doing it, but what about the air that we take in every time we
inhale? When was the last time you stopped to think about the
quality of the air you were taking into your lungs, transmitting
deep down into the cells of your body?
If you were recently standing on a polluted corner of a busy
city sidewalk, well, maybe you did stop to wonder about what
sorts of dirt and dust molecules were seeping into your body.
But for most of us, especially when we're in our own homes, the
quality of the air we're breathing is not a big
consideration--or not even a consideration at all.
The truth of the matter is, the quality of air indoors (even in
seemingly clean homes) can actually be far poorer than that of
even the biggest, most industrialized, and dirtiest urban
centers! To put that in plainer language: the air in your home
could be worse for your health than the air you breathe walking
through New York City or Beijing or San Francisco. What causes
such potent and potentially harmful indoor pollution? For
starters, the indoor usage of substances like cigarettes and
cigars, paint, coal, furniture polish, cleaning fluids,
asbestos, space heaters, and so on, can create a build-up of
hazardous particles. The degree of severity often depends on
whether or not there is adequate ventilation--how much outdoor
air can get into the house, and vice versa. A home with very
poor ventilation will pose a much worse health threat to its
inhabitants than a home with lots of open windows and excellent
ventilation. That's not to say that homes with good ventilation
can't still be polluted--in fact, they certainly can be. Because
most of us spend most of our time inside, rather than out of
doors, the build-up of chemical and other airborne pollutants
can pose serious health risks, triggering various ailments over
time. This is especially true when the inhabitants of a home are
elderly, chronically ill, or very young, or if they already have
certain types of respiratory disease.
The particular physical response depends on the type of
contaminant. Biological pollutants may provoke allergic
reactions, while types of tobacco smoke and other contaminants
can trigger asthma attacks or create asthmatic conditions. Molds
and mildews can spread more serious health problems, and the
presence of contaminants like carbon monoxide can even result in
death if the proper alert system (a carbon monoxide detector) is
not in place and fully functioning.
The good news is that you don't have to live with hazardous air.
Just recognizing the possibility of indoor air pollution is the
first step toward creating an environment that is free of
hazardous airborne particles. Read the related articles on air
purifiers and air quality to learn what steps you can take to
achieve cleaner air and a healthier lifestyle.