Is Your
House Making You Sick?
Many people spend a large portion of time indoors as much as
80 90% of their lives. We work, study, eat, drink and sleep
in enclosed environments where air circulation may be
restricted. For these reasons, some experts feel that more
people suffer from the effects of indoor air pollution than
outdoor pollution. There are many sources of indoor air
pollution in any home. These include combustion sources such
as oil, gas, kerosene, coal, wood, and tobacco products;
building materials and furnishings as diverse as
deteriorated, asbestos containing insulation, wet or damp
carpet, and cabinetry or furniture made of certain pressed
wood products; products for household cleaning and
maintenance, personal care, or hobbies; central heating and
cooling systems and humidification devices; and outdoor
sources such as radon, pesticides and outdoor air pollution.
Health Concerns
Infants, young children and the elderly are a group shown to
be more susceptible to pollutants. People with chronic
respiratory or cardiovascular illness or immune system
diseases are also more susceptible than others to
pollutants. Immediate effects may show up after a single
exposure or repeated exposures. These include irritation of
the eyes, nose and throat, headaches, dizziness and fatigue.
Such immediate effects are usually short term and treatable.
Sometimes the treatment is simply eliminating the person's
exposure to the source of the pollution, if it can be
identified. Other health effects may show up either years
after exposure has occurred or only after long or repeated
periods of exposure. These effects, which include some
respiratory diseases, heart disease and cancer, can be
severely
debilitating or fatal. It is prudent to try to improve the
indoor air quality in your home even if symptoms are not
noticeable.
Identifying Air Quality
Problems
Some health effects can be useful indicators of an indoor
air quality problem, especially if they appear after aperson
moves to a new residence, remodels or
refurnishes a home, or treats a home with pesticides.
Another way to judge whether your home has or could
develop indoor air problems is to identify potential sources
of indoor air pollution. Although the presence of such
sources does not necessarily mean that you have an indoor
air quality problem, being aware of the potential sources is
an important step toward assessing the air quality in your
home.
Finally, look for signs of problems with the ventilation in
your home. These may include moisture condensation on
windows or walls, smelly or stuffy air, dirty central
heating and air cooling equipment, and areas where books,
shoes, or other items become moldy. |
Out With the Bad--Source
Control
Usually the most effective way to improve indoor air
quality is to eliminate individual sources of
pollution or to reduce their emissions. Some
sources, like those that contain asbestos, can be
sealed or enclosed; others, like gas stoves, can be
adjusted to decrease the amount of emissions.
Ventilation
Improvements
Another approach to lowering the concentrations of
indoor air pollutants in your home is to increase
the amount of outdoor air coming indoors. Opening
windows and doors, operating window or attic fans
when the weather permits, or running a window air
conditioner with the vent control open increases the
outdoor ventilation rate. Bathroom or kitchen fans
that
exhaust outdoors also increase the outdoor air
ventilation rate. It is particularly important to
ventilate properly while you are involved in short
term activities such as painting, paint stripping,
operating kerosene heaters, cooking, welding,
soldering or sanding.
Air Cleaners
There are many types and sizes of air cleaners on
the market, ranging from relatively inexpensive
table top models to sophisticated and expensive
whole house systems. Some air cleaners are highly
effective at particle removal, while others,
including most table top
models, are much less so. Air cleaners are generally
not designed to remove gaseous pollutants. |
Start Breathing Easier
Today!
• Ban indoor smoking.
• Improve the ventilation in your bath and
laundry by installing exhaust fans.
• Use natural cleaning compounds and air
fresheners, such as real flowers and plants.
• Dispose of opened paint cans and leftover
solvents promptly and properly. Don't let
cans of paint or cleaning solvents sit in
your basement or garage.
• Have a pair of shoes that you wear only for
yard work and keep in the garage.
• Have your home checked for radon. |
Reducing Exposure to
Carbon Monoxide
• Keep gas appliances properly adjusted.
• Purchase a vented space heater when replacing an
unvented one.
• Use proper fuel in kerosene space heaters.
• Install and use an exhaust fan vented to
outdoors over gas stoves.
• Open flues when fireplaces are in use.
• Choose wood stoves that are certified to meet EPA
emission standards.
• Make certain that doors on all wood stoves fit
tightly.
• Have a professional inspect, clean and tune up
central heating system annually.
• Repair leaks promptly.
• Do not idle the car inside garage. |
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