Indoor Air Pollution Prevention

Indoor air pollution can be a serious concern. According to the American Lung Association, it contributes to respiratory tract infections, asthma, lung cancer and other lung disease. Indoor air pollution is caused when harmful particles are trapped in your home. Common sources of indoor pollution include secondhand cigarette smoke, radon, formaldehyde and household products. Does this Spark an idea?

Prevention
Each cause of indoor air pollution has a different preventive strategy. Cigarette smoking is one of the easiest to fix because you can ask friends and family not to smoke in or around your home. The American Lung Association points out that cigarette smoke contains roughly 4,000 chemicals, of which 200 are known to be poisonous.

Other ways of controlling indoor air quality require more effort. Radon, an odorless gas, can be found in the basements of one out of every 15 homes in the United States. It causes an estimated 15,000 to 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year. To find out if you have radon in your home, buy a test kit from your local hardware store or hire a qualified professional. If your test finds radon, you will need to purchase a radon reduction system, which generally costs between $800 to $2,500 and can lower the radon in your home by up to 99 percent, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA.

Formaldehyde, a colorless chemical, is another indoor pollutant that can be difficult to remove. It emits a gas that some find irritating and that has been classified as a likely carcinogen by the EPA. It can also cause bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma or dermatitis. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry estimates that it is one of the top 25 most abundantly used chemicals in the world. It is found in pressed wood, plastics, resin, dyes, insecticides, textiles and rubber. Before you make major home improvements or purchase furniture, you may wish to inquire whether or not they contain formaldehyde. As products with formaldehyde age, they emit less and are not as toxic. If you do have products with formaldehyde in your home, good ventilation helps diffuse this gas.

Common household products can contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are gases that pollute indoor air. Paint, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, glues and adhesives all contain VOCs. Breathing these compounds causes symptoms that range from allergic reactions to respiratory tract irritation to more serious conditions like cancer. To prevent indoor air pollution from VOCs, the EPA recommends you use products according to the manufacturer's directions, buy only the amount of product you need to complete a project and to ventilate properly.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/way_5178982_indoor-air-pollution-prevention.html

Pollution Prevention Techniques

Pollution prevention occurs when waste is reduced or eliminated at the main source before it reaches the environment. Another way to prevent pollution is to use greener substances and conserve natural resources. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has developed strategies to assist in preventing pollution.

Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
This pollution-prevention process provides support for designing and redesigning products and processes associated with manufacturing. This will encourage companies to search for alternatives for any harmful chemicals that they currently use that pollute the environment. This technique also promotes technologies and work practices that will prevent the production of greenhouse gases. The EPA will monitor and offer assistance to promote this process and help companies search for and obtain materials and chemicals necessary to make the redesign possible.

Reduce Hazardous Materials Usage
This technique educates companies on the effects of hazardous materials on the environment. The EPA will explain how chemicals, used over time, will have a negative effect on the life cycle of humans and animals that live in the environments being polluted every day. Information will be shared based on the newest green chemicals and engineering designs available to manufacturing companies. The agency will encourage and guide businesses, government offices and consumers on the reduction of hazardous materials and the chemicals that will be replacing them, or could replace them if the companies agree to the redesign. Information will also be available for consumers when they are purchasing cleaning chemicals that may contain ingredients harmful to the environment and to their own health.

Promote Economic Benefits
This technique aims to show business owners, government officials and consumers how the prevention of pollution will save money in the long run while promoting more green jobs and protecting the workers' health. Consumers who are interested in going green will learn that more products will be available to them as more and more companies respond to the EPA initiative. The technique will also protect natural resources by eliminating harmful chemicals. The EPA will assist businesses with green engineering processes, green building plans and green chemistry procedures. The EPA's goal is to help businesses find programs at state and federal levels that provide assistance in covering the cost of the design or redesign.

Pollution Prevention for Homeowners
Homeowners can contribute to pollution prevention by following a few key steps when purchasing items or throwing away trash. Consumers should take a step back and look at their purchasing habits. Chances are they regularly purchase many items that are not necessary or environmental friendly. Consumers should develop a recycling system with proper ways to get rid of trash. They should replace disposable items with those that can be used more than once, thus reducing the amount of trash thrown away by a single person every day. Every time a single item is reused, the need for additional manufacturing and energy is reduced. Purchase items of high quality so they won't need to be replaced as early, and buy green chemicals that don't include any harmful ingredients.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/info_8016099_pollution-prevention-techniques.html