How To Prevent Indoor Air Pollution And Why It Matters?
Every year, air pollution claims the lives of approximately 7 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
Outdoor or ambient air pollution accounts for most of these deaths, but that doesn’t mean the indoors are free from air pollutants. In fact, indoor air pollution causes about 3.8 million premature deaths each year.
Indoor air contaminants like smoke emitted from cooking fires, dust, small particulate matter, and pollen threaten our health.
When these pollutants combine with the smog that penetrates from outside, they increase the risk of lung cancer, stroke, respiratory disorders, and other health conditions. Fortunately, we can improve air quality by implementing a few ideas to stop pollution in cities and at home.
Switch to Green Household Products
Most household products contain volatile organic compounds or VOCs, which are released as toxic gases.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), the chemical concentration of volatile organic compounds is ten times higher indoors than the outdoors.
When emitted by a variety of products, including cleaning detergents, paint, perfumes, and varnishes, they can cause skin and eye irritation, nausea, headaches, dizziness, and respiratory allergies.
It is, therefore, essential to opt for green products to reduce toxicity levels in your home.
Use High-Quality Air Filters
Dirty air filters are notorious for distributing air contaminants from pollen to dust mites and delicate particulate matter throughout your home and which will reach your lungs.
While these contaminants may not sound toxic, they are leading causes of asthma, skin irritation, sore throat, fatigue, headache, cold, and flu. That is why changing air filters every month is essential to ensure you and your family breathe easy.
When buying furnace or HVAC air filters, size is not the only thing that matters.
You should also check the minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV). That way, you can determine if your HVAC’s filters can trap dust particles and prevent them from recirculating.
Experts recommend choosing a 16x25x1 air filter, as they have a high MERV rating. Besides improving indoor air quality, clean filters increase the efficiency of your AC.
This translates to reduced demand for electricity, hence minimal use of water and the production of greenhouse gases in power plants.
Replace Wood with Gas Log Furnaces
Although wood-burning furnaces add beauty and warmth to living spaces, they emit carbon monoxide, small particulate matter, and nitrogen oxide.
These pollutants increase the risk of health disorders. Inhaling carbon monoxide, for instance, affects the body’s ability to circulate oxygen, causing fatigue, headaches, unconsciousness, and even death. Small particles can also trigger respiratory allergies like asthma and bronchitis.
By installing gas log furnaces, you can keep the air inside your home clean.
As gas logs burn propane or gas, they emit fewer pollutants compared to wood. Using gas logs reduces your impact on the surroundings as it eliminates the need to cut trees to obtain lumber.
Conclusion
Green products are non-toxic, biodegradable, and require minimal packaging and shipping. When used in homes, they improve not only indoor air quality but also reduce air pollution from outside.
