What You Need to Know About Indoor Air Pollution

Indoor air pollution, like the name suggests, is air pollution that is inside a building like a home, an office building, or even a department store. Indoor air pollution is a major health risk because the toxins and pollutants in the indoor air pollution is confined within a small space. Because of this it has less of a chance to disperse in larger volumes of open air which would reduce the harmful impacts on humans and other indoor organisms. The EPA confirms the hazards of indoor air pollution, citing that it is in the top five health concerns in the United States. (Kaufman and Franz, 193, 265). In fact, indoor air pollution is the primary catalyst for 80% of new cases of asthma since the 1980s. (1993). Some examples of air pollution include: formaldehyde, radon222, tobacco smoke, asbestos, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, spores, and bacteria.

The seriousness of the indoor air pollution situation has steadily increased over the last decade because of the increased amount of time Americans spend inside. Because of the advancements in home entertainment products like DVDs, computers, internet, home audio systems, and video games Americans now spend 90% of their time inside. This means that they are exposed to the concentrated air pollutants contained within their homes. The second factor that has increased the seriousness of indoor air pollution is that at the present time there are no laws or regulations to help reduce indoor air pollutants in homes. (Kaufman and Franz, 1993, 266).

While there are indoor air pollutants in every building to some degree, urban and suburban areas are more effected because of their reliance on chemical cleaners, and because they have more exposure to auto exhaust and industrial exhaust that filters into their homes. Rural areas are less affected by these contributing factors and have a smaller concentration of indoor air pollutants than urban area homes.

Taking a few simple steps could lessen the seriousness of this problem. First people need to be more conscious of their selections of cleaning and deodorizing products. They should search for products that are biodegradable and bio-friendly products. This often means that they don’t have harmful fumes or chemicals that are harmful to living organisms. People could also use traditional cleaning and deodorizing products like baking soda, vinegar, and good old fashion hot water. Steam cleaning is another alternative that is an affective cleaner and deodorizer that does not release harmful air pollutants. Also to help reduce the effects of indoor air pollution people could open their windows to allow for proper ventilation, and they could also spend more time outside in the fresh air. This would help to minimize the amount of time spent in a confined area where indoor air pollutants are concentrated and can have a harmful affect on the person.

Developing countries are less impacted by indoor air pollution. This is because they have limited funds to spend on cleaning products. They instead rely on traditional cleaners like soap and water. Also people in developing countries spend a greater amount of time outside working in fields, walking or riding bikes to meet their transportation needs, etc. The structure of their buildings, especially their homes are also less “tight”. and ventilation is not a problem, as windows and secure doors are not always present.

References

Kaufman, Donald G. and Franz, Cecilia M. (1993). Biosphere 2000�Protecting our Global Environment. Dubuque, IA: Kendal/Hunt Publishing.