The indoor air quality in your home is an important issue to think about when it comes to your health—your home is your oasis. It’s where you can escape the hustle and bustle of the outside world and create a safe haven. Sadly, life isn’t that simple. New research is piling up that the air we breathe in our homes could be having a dire impact on our health.
One warning comes from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that ranks indoor air pollution as a top five environmental danger faced on a daily basis by people of all ages. Worse, the EPA warns that indoor air can be up to five times more polluted on average than the air outside on the street!
A landmark study by two leading UK medical institutions, the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, earlier this year said air pollution plays a role in many of the major health challenges of our day, and is linked to cancer, asthma, stroke and heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and dementia.
See also: Understanding Allergies
So what are the threats? The most common indoor air pollutants are combustion products, biological particles from mould, pet dander, pollen, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), lead dust and asbestos. Indoor air may also contain over 900 different types of gaseous chemicals and particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5), according to the European Commission Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks.
Breathing in tiny, unseen pollutants puts your health at risk. These tiny particles can pass through your nose, into your lung tissue and then into your bloodstream, circulating through your body and staying there.
It’s clearly time to forget the old adage that what you don’t know can’t hurt you. But, don’t panic, there are things you can do to get control of the air you breathe at home. Here are seven simple tips.
1. Don’t allow smoking indoors. Nearly 5,000 toxins make tobacco smoke the most toxic pollutant.
2. Avoid scented candles and incense. Toxins from paraffin candles are the same as those in diesel fumes.
3. Reduce or remove carpets, which trap unhealthy particles such as dirt, fungi and dust mites.
4. Cut down on the amount of chemicals you use in your home. Use natural cleaning products instead.
5. Fully vent your wood fireplace or stove when in use to prevent gases and particles from entering your living space.
6. Create a safe indoor clean air haven by using a Hepa indoor air purifier that sucks in the pollutants before you do.
7. Listen to your body. ‘Don’t overdo it’ by ignoring the signals when you get a headache, an unexplained cough or red and itchy eyes.
Blueair is a world leader in indoor air purification technologies with a wide range of air purifiers suitable for all room sizes and designed to remove 99.97 percent of all airborne contaminants that can trigger allergies, asthma, respiratory problems and more. Selling in over 60 countries around the world, Blueair this year celebrates its 20th birthday.
Read more on Celebrity Angels about the effect bad indoor air quality can have on your allergies and guidance on allergy management.
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How Clean Is Your Air At Home?
