Where would you feel safer?
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the air quality of our homes is 2 to 5 times more polluted than the air we breathe outside. In fact, indoor air is quite often a cause of greater health problems than the polluted air we may encounter outside our homes.
How much time do you spend indoors? Of course, the answer will vary. The truth is... in our modern, non-agricultural society, Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors! 65% of that time is spent in our own homes.
How do we build homes today? The tighter the better has been the rule for years. Yes, we strive to seal every leak to keep the fresh air out.
The result... we are forced to breathe whatever the box that we live or work in contains!
Just as the food we eat during our life has a direct bearing on our quality of life, likewise, the same is true of the air we take into our lungs some 22,000 times everyday!
More lives are lost to indoor air pollution issues than alcohol related car accidents in the US each year. For instance radon gas induced lung cancer takes more than 20,000 lives per year. Compare this to 17,000 drunken driving accidents in 2004. This is just one of many Indoor Air Quality dangers. Globally the total figure is 1.6 million deaths per year.
Probably the most widespread indoor air pollutant in the US and across Europe, radon causes tens of thousands of lung cancer induced deaths in the US each year. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.
This threat wasn't widely known until just a few years ago and any home can have a radon problem. Have you checked your home for radon?
If you have a radon problem, we can help you fix it!
Carbon monoxide is one of the most acutely toxic of all indoor air pollutants. It's caused by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels.
Common sources are...Tobacco smoke, space heaters (non-electric), defective furnaces, and automobile exhaust.
Carbon Monoxide produces flu like symptoms. If the entire household comes down with the flu at the same time, assume that you have elevated CO levels and leave the building!
Do you have carbon monoxide detectors installed in your home?
Before 1975, asbestos was found in many common building materials. If you think you have a source of this pollutant in your home don't mess with it! If left undisturbed the risk to you will be minimal. Asbestos is currently causing between 5000-10,000 deaths in the US annually.
These biological agents fall into 2 classes:
These issues can result in serious health issues for people with respiratory conditions and/or those with compromised immune systems.
We all know the consequences of tobacco smoking and that second hand smoke is also a major concern for those exposed. Wood smoke is a major cause of death in developing countries...the number of deaths is thought to be in the hundreds of thousands!
VOCs represent a host of household products from particle board to cleaning agents. You may also have a problem with VOCs if your home is built on a toxic waste site. These man made compounds can cause a wide variety of symptoms and conditions.
Many of these air pollutants can be minimized or eliminated quite easily.
Look through the different links on this page to learn more about each indoor pollutant and how to remedy them.
Also, check out our list of 11 simple ways you can start improving your Indoor Air Quality today AND three easy ways to avoid bringing pollutants into your home.
For a list of the subjects discussed on this website, see our Site Index.
If you have a question that we haven't answered yet, feel free to contact us.
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By Val Riedman Copyright © 2007-2022 Indoor-Air-Health-Advisor.com
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