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.
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