Indoor air pollution is something that you may not take as seriously as others. Needless to say, the quality of what you breathe into your lungs is important if you hope to stay healthy. For this reason, here are indoor air pollution sources that you need to eliminate along with fixes to better prevent health problems later.
You might think that dust is no big deal. After all, it can just make you sneeze as well as leave an unattractive film on surfaces and fabrics as those microscopic particles build up. Despite how devoted to regular dusting that you are, you may still have those tiny particles floating in the air. A fix can be as simple as using a damp cloth or a treated one.
Indoor air pollution sources you might be more lenient with are some of your beauty and cleaning products that sold as aerosol sprays. Why these types of products are so bad is because they emit volatile organic compounds that can cause future health issues. Instead, a simple fix is switching to non-aerosol sprays. What else that you can do is keep your windows open while spraying, but remember using an aerosol is also damaging the fragile health of our planet.
Something else that you need to be concerned about is chemicals may be present in some home and building materials that can be sources of indoor air pollution. For instance, you may buy new carpeting for your home and later start feeling ill. The reason could the formaldehyde that may be present. I can tell you this because it happened to me. Nonetheless, if you are sensitive such as someone with respiratory problems or allergies, this could also happen to you. This is why it helps to do your research as one fix. Replacing some materials for another choice and optimal ventilation that can transfer indoor and outdoor air also can keep you healthier.
Now that the pandemic and restrictions are loosening up a bit more, you may be returning to workouts at gyms or even with friends at your home. Unfortunately, heavy breathing from those around you also can spread viruses through the air. An air purifier with an HEPA filter won’t prevent COVID-19, but it certainly helps filter out particles and that delay the time it takes for transmission of that virus.
Other sources of indoor air pollution can be mold, pollen, tobacco smoke, perfumes, and animal dander just to name a few. What may surprise you is that some air fresheners could also fall into this potential problem. They do not need just to be in spray form, but in gels, heated oils, beads, and plugins. Just like perfumes, manufacturers have special protection in disclosing ingredients as trade secrets by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration since air fresheners also fall under fragrances. As a result, you can’t even fully trust the advertising on the label of this type of product to be as truthful with claims of being green or natural.
Ingredients in air fresheners that you especially want to avoid are benzene, toluene, volatile organic compounds, 1,4-diclorobenzene, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, parabens, and phthalates are just some chemicals that you don’t want to inhale. A simple fix is creating your own homemade air freshener like the one I shared earlier with you to substitute for them. Potted plants such as spider plants, aloe vera and chrysanthemum can also help improve air quality by filtering out undesirable particles.
Very interesting! I learned quite a lot and will be getting some potted plants for my home.