INDOOR AIR QUALITY - The air inside your home may be polluted by lead, formaldehyde, fire-retardants, radon, even volatile chemicals from fragrances. You'll also find microscopic dust, mites plus mold and heaps of pet dander. Pesticides are also linked with brain damage in young children. Make your home a no-smoling zone. Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals. Secondhand smoke increases a child's risk of developing ear and respiratory infections, asthma, cancer, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Synthetic fragrances in laundry products and air fresheners emit dozens of different chemicals into the air. You won’t find their names on the product labels. Laundry detergents, fabric softeners, dryer sheets, and air fresheners in solid, spray, and oil form may all emit such gasses.
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Indoor Air Quality
.
Breathe
Easy: 5 Ways To Improve Indoor Air Quality
By Jeanie Lerche Davis
We tend
to think of air pollution as something outside -- smog, ozone, or haze hanging
in the air, especially in summer.
But the
truth is, the air inside homes, offices, and other buildings can be more
polluted than the air outside.
The air
inside your home may be polluted by lead (in house dust), formaldehyde,
fire-retardants, radon, even volatile chemicals from fragrances used in
conventional cleaners.
Some
pollutants are tracked into the home. Some arrive via a new mattress or
furniture, carpet cleaners, or a coat of paint on the walls.
In that mix, you'll also find microscopic
dust, mites -- a major allergen -- plus mold and heaps of pet
dander, says David Lang, MD, head of Allergy/Immunology at the Cleveland
Clinic. "
“Even if you don't have pets, you've probably
got pet dander," he tells WebMD. "It's become what we call a community allergen. Pet owners carry
it around on their clothes and shed it throughout the day. You can't get away
from it."
Children, people with asthma, and the
elderly may be especially sensitive to indoor pollutants, but other effects on
health may appear years later, after repeated exposure.
Indoor allergens and irritants have become
much more important in recent decades because we're spending more time indoors,
Lang says.
And
because modern homes are airtight, these irritants can't easily escape.
"We're all exposed to a greater degree than we were three or four decades
ago," he says.
5 Simple Steps to Improve Indoor Air
Quality
1. Keep your floors fresh.
Suck it up. Chemicals and allergens can accumulate in household
dust for decades. By using a vacuum with a HEPA filter you can reduce
concentrations of lead in your home.
You can also get rid of other toxins, like brominated
fire-retardant chemicals (PBDEs) as well as allergens like pollen, pet
dander, and dust mites.
Using a vacuum cleaner that has strong suction, rotating
brushes, and a HEPA filter ensures that dust and dirt won’t get blown back
out in the exhaust.
In high traffic areas, vacuum the same spot several times.
Don't forget walls, carpet edges, and upholstered furniture, where dust
accumulates.
For best results, vacuum two or more times each week and
wash out your filter regularly.
Mop it up. Mopping picks up the dust that vacuuming leaves
behind. You can skip the soaps and cleaners and just use plain water to capture
any lingering dust or allergens.
New microfiber mops (and dust cloths) reportedly capture
more dust and dirt than traditional fibers and don’t require any cleaning
solutions whatsoever.
Keep it out. Put a large floor mat at every door. People track in
all sorts of chemicals via the dirt on their shoes.
A door mat reduces the amount of dirt, pesticides, and
other pollutants from getting into your home.
If the mat is big enough, even those who don't wipe their
shoes will leave most pollutants on the mat -- not the floors in your home.
If you live in a home built before 1978, there's a good
chance that lead paint still exists on your walls. But even in a newer home,
you may face lead exposure -- from lead dust tracked in from outside.
Lead dust can raise the risk of exposure for young children
-- a serious problem that can damage the brain, central nervous system,
and kidneys.
Pesticides are also linked with brain damage in
young children. Kids are vulnerable to higher exposures because they tend to
get dust on their fingers and then put their fingers in their mouths.
To best protect your family, ask people to remove their
shoes when entering your home. Keep house shoes, slippers, and socks near the
door.
2. Keep a healthy level of
humidity. Dust mites and mold love moisture. Keeping humidity around
30%-50% helps keep them and other allergens under control.
A dehumidifier (and air conditioner during summer months)
helps reduce moisture in indoor air and effectively controls allergens, Lang
says. An air conditioner also reduces indoor pollen count -- another plus for
allergy-sufferers.
More tips for dehumidifying your home:
Use an exhaust fan or crack open a window when cooking,
running the dishwasher, or bathing.
Don't overwater houseplants.
Vent the clothes dryer to the outside.
Fix leaky plumbing to prevent moisture-loving mold.
Empty drip pans in your window air conditioner and
dehumidifier.
3. Make your home a no-smoling zone. "Probably the
single most important aspect of indoor air pollution is secondhand cigarette
smoke," says Philip Landrigan, MD, a pediatrician
and director of the Children's Environmental Health Center at Mount Sinai
School of Medicine in New York City.
Cigarette smoke
contains more than 4,000 chemicals. Research shows that secondhand smokeincreases
a child's risk of developing ear and respiratory infections, asthma, cancer,
and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). For the smoker, this addiction causes
cancer, breathing problems, heart attacks, and stroke.
If you want to
stop smoking, support groups, nicotine-replacement therapy, and other
medications can help.
Find a method that works for you, get some support (friends, family,
fellow quitters, counseling), and think positive. Focus on your reasons for
quitting -- not on your cravings.
More Americans than ever before have kicked the habit,
according to the CDC. But if you relapse, make sure you don’t smoke inside the
house. "If you just can't quit, at least smoke
outside," Landrigan says.
4. Test for radon. Whether you have a new or old home, you could have a
radon problem. This colorless, odorless gas significantly raises the risk of
lung cancer.
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in
the U.S. today. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of
lung cancer is especially high.
Radon is a
radioactive gas. It comes from the natural decay of uranium found in nearly all
soils. It typically moves up through the ground and into your home through
cracks and holes in the foundation.
Drafty homes,
airtight homes, homes with or without a basement -- any home can potentially
have a radon problem.
Granite
countertops have also been linked to radon. While experts agree that most
granite countertops emit some radon, the question is whether they do so at
levels that can cause cancer.
Testing is
easy, inexpensive, and takes only a few minutes. If you discover a radon
problem, there are simple ways to reduce levels of the gas that are not too
costly.
Even high radon
levels can be reduced to acceptable levels. The Environmental Protection Agency
offers a "Consumer’s Guide to Radon Reduction."
5. Smell good naturally. You may associate that lemony or piney scent with
a clean kitchen or clean clothes.
But synthetic fragrances in laundry products and air
fresheners emit dozens of different chemicals into the air.
You won’t find
their names on the product labels. Conventional laundry detergents, fabric
softeners, dryer sheets, and air fresheners in solid, spray, and oil form may
all emit such gasses.
In one study, a
plug-in air freshener was found to emit 20 different volatile organic compounds
(VOCs), including seven regulated as toxic or hazardous under U.S. federal
laws.
But these
chemicals were not included on the label -- only the word "fragrance"
is required to be listed. But the actual composition of the fragrance is
considered a "trade secret."
Most fragrances
are derived from petroleum products, and generally haven’t been tested to see
if they have any significant adverse health effects in humans when they are
inhaled. (Tests usually focus on whether a fragrance causes skin irritation.)
Some that have
been tested raise concern. Phthalates are a group of chemicals often used in
fragrances and also used to soften plastics. Studies show that phthalates
disrupt hormones in animals.
What can you
do?
·Look for fragrance-free or
naturally-scented laundry products.
·Switch to mild cleaners that don't include
artificial fragrances.
·Stop using aerosol sprays -- deodorants, hairsprays,
carpet cleaners, furniture polish, and air fresheners.
·Let in fresh air. Open windows so toxic
chemicals don't build up in your home. What if you or your child has pollen
allergies? Then keep rooms ventilated with a filtered air- conditioning system.
·Use sliced lemons and baking soda to
get a clean scent in the kitchen.
·Bring nature indoors. Any room is prettier
with a fern, spider plant, or aloe vera. It’s also healthier. NASA research
shows that indoor plants like these act as living air purifiers -- the foliage
and roots work in tandem to absorb chemical pollutants released by synthetic
materials. If you have kids or pets, make sure the plants aren’t poisonous if
ingested.
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