Indoor Air Pollution
We know that outside air pollution can be bad sometimes, but what about the air in our
houses? What kind of air toxicants could make us sick right in our home? Most people are
aware that outdoor air pollution is harmful and can damage our health, but fewer realize
that the indoor air pollution can be as or even more harmful. Researches indicate that
people spend as much as 90 percent of their time indoors. Because we spend so much time
indoors, awareness of the potential effects of indoor air pollution on human health is vital.
There are so many air pollutants in our houses, causing harmful effects but Environmental
Tobacco Smoke (ETS), Pesticides, and biological contaminants are the most important
ones.
According to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), environmental tobacco smoke is a
major source of indoor air contaminants. “Environmental tobacco smoke is a dynamic,
complex mixture of more than 4,000 chemicals found in both vapor and particle phase.
Many of these chemicals are known as toxic agents, and the nature of ETS in indoor
environment indicates that some unintentional inhalation of ETS by nonsmokers is
unavoidable.” All the compounds found in “mainstream” smoke, the smoke inhaled by the
active smoker, are also found in “sidestream” smoke, the emission from the burning end of
the cigarette, cigar or pipe. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has
classified ETS as a “known human carcinogen” and estimates that it is responsible for
approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths per year among nonsmokers in United States. The
U.S. Surgeon General, the National Research Council and the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health also concluded that passive smoking can cause lung
cancer in otherwise healthy adults who never smoked. “ETS changes the body’s immune
system and lowered defenses against inhaled particles and causes in increased heart rate,
blood pressure, blood carboxyhemoglobin; and related reduction in exercise capacity in
those with stable angina and in healthy people. “(http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_
statistics/Factsheets/SecondhandSmoke.html). Children’s lungs are even more at risk of
harmful effects from ETS. “In infants and young children up to three years, exposure to
ETS causes an approximate doubling in the incidence of pneumonia, bronchitis and
bronchiolitis. There is also strong evidence of increased middle ear effusion, reduced lung
function and reduced lung growth and asthma.”(http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/
hpguide.html). The best way to improve indoor air quality is to eliminate the source of it.
So if we want clean air in our homes for us and our families we should stop smoking and
