Improve Indoor Air Quality for Better Health

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Photo By Andrea Edwards

From our first squall to our last gasp, we are always breathing. But the essential air we breathe can harbor serious pollutants with both short- and long-term negative health effects. We hear a lot about outside air pollutants, but in fact, federal scientists rank indoor air pollution as one of the most important environmental problems in the United States.

Americans spend about 90 percent of their time indoors. As tightly insulated and sealed buildings become more common, concentration levels of pollutants such as formaldehyde, chloroform and styrene are two to 50 times greater indoors than outdoors. Indoor air pollution can cause eye and throat irritation and headaches in the short term, and respiratory disease and cancer over time. The most sensitive people—children, pregnant women and the elderly, and those with heart and lung disease, asthma and chemical sensitivities—often spend the most time indoors. Understanding and eliminating sources of indoor air pollution can make a big improvement in your home’s overall health.

Keep your indoor air clean and healthy with these simple steps.

1. Control pollution sources. The best way to avoid indoor pollutants is to keep them out of your home in the first place.

• Banish cigarettes and pipes.
• If you have a wood stove or fireplace, clean the flue and vent to the outdoors.
• Wipe your feet on a doormat or, even better, take off your shoes at the entryway.
• Don’t use pesticides on your yard or garden. They can be tracked into your house.
• Use natural, nontoxic cleaning products such as vinegar, baking soda and borax.
• Install carbon monoxide detectors to alert you to venting problems caused by gas-burning appliances.
• Vacuum, mop and dust your home weekly. Wash bedding weekly.
• Replace carpet with washable area rugs and drapes with washable curtains or blinds.
• Use no-VOC paints and sealers. Avoid plywood or particleboard with added urea-formaldehyde or seal with a nontoxic sealer to prevent offgassing.
• Never leave your car, lawn mower or other fuel-burning appliance running in an attached garage.
 
2. Bring in fresh outside air with natural and mechanical ventilation. When the weather is fair, opening windows and doors throughout the house helps remove pollutants and moisture. High moisture levels in your home, especially in warm areas, can lead to mold and mildew. Interior humidity levels should be 30 to 50 percent.