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All of us face a variety of risks
to our health as we go about our day to day lives. Driving in
cars, flying in planes, engaging in recreational activities,
and being exposed to environmental pollutants all pose varying
degrees of risk. Some risks are simply unavoidable.
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Some we choose to accept because
to do otherwise would restrict our ability to lead our lives
the way we want. And some are risks we might decide to avoid
if we had the opportunity to make informed choices. Indoor air
pollution is one risk that you can do something about.
In the last several years, a
growing body of scientific evidence has indicated that the air
within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted
than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized
cities.
Other research indicates that
people spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors.
Thus, for many people, the risks to health may be greater due
to exposure to air pollution indoors than outdoors.
In addition, people who may be
exposed to indoor air pollutants for the longest periods of time
are often those most susceptible to the effects of indoor air
pollution. Such groups include the young, the elderly, and the
chronically ill, especially those suffering from respiratory
or cardiovascular disease. |
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Pollutant Sources
There are many sources of indoor air pollution in any home.These
include:
- combustion sources such as oil,
gas, kerosene, coal, wood, and tobacco products.
- building materials and furnishings,
insulation containing asbestos, wet or damp carpet, and cabinetry
or furniture made of certain pressed wood products.
- products for household cleaning
and maintenance, personal care, or hobbies.
- central heating and cooling
systems and humidification devices.
- and outdoor sources such as
radon, pesticides, and outdoor air pollution.
Indoor air and your health
Health effects from indoor air
pollutants may be experienced soon after exposure or, possibly,
years later.
Immediate effects may show up
after a single exposure or repeated exposures. These include:
- irritation of the eyes, nose,
and throat
- headaches
- dizziness
- fatigue
Such immediate effects are usually
short term and treatable. The treatment is simply eliminating
the source of the pollution.
Symptoms of some diseases, including
asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and humidifier fever, may
also show up soon after exposure to some indoor air pollutants.
Certain immediate effects are
similar to those from colds or other viral diseases, so it is
often difficult to determine if the symptoms are a result of
exposure to indoor air pollution. For this reason, it is important
to pay attention to the time and place the symptoms occur. If
the symptoms fade or go away when a person is away from the home
and returns when the person returns, an effort should be made
to identify indoor air sources that may be possible causes. Some
effects may be made worse by an inadequate supply of outdoor
air or from the heating, cooling, or humidity conditions prevalent
in the home.
Other health effects may show
up either years after exposure has occurred or only after long
or repeated periods of exposure. These effects, which include
some respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer, can be
severely debilitating or fatal. It is prudent to try to improve
the indoor air quality in your home even if symptoms are not
noticeable.
Over the past few years, there
has been some publicity suggesting that house plants have been
shown to reduce levels of some chemicals in laboratory experiments.
Recent studies have shown that
tropical indoor plants and even some types of flowering plants
can remove indoor air pollutants such as Formaldehyde, Benzene
and Trichloroethylene. The plants leaves, roots, soil and microorganisms
are all involved in removing these chemicals. |
